Get screened and be relentless until physicians get you test-backed answers
The mantra of “never let a good crisis go to waste” played like a scratch on a favorite vinyl record as I questioned how to make meaning of life after my rectal cancer diagnosis. I kept asking myself, “How do I use the crisis we experienced for good?”
Early on, I saw that talking about the symptoms in a matter-of-fact manner could be viewed improper or rude. After all, people don’t like to talk about poop at the dinner table! I knew I had to work to normalize those conversations and that by shining a light on them, I would have the potential to spare other people from what we experienced. I never realized just how close to home this would hit. Driving the notion to “BE SEEN,” led to the detection of pre-cancerous polyps in my sister, and then soon after, to close friends in Westchester/Playa and throughout Los Angeles.
“Now that I had a family history of colorectal cancer, obtaining an order for a colonoscopy required no more than a call to my physician to make the request and then a scheduler reached out,” shared Dr. Natalie Greisl. “My sister and everything she went through saved my life.”
She openly shares that rectal polyps were removed in her colonoscopy and then confirmed pre-cancerous when she was in her mid-30s, without symptoms.
Colon and rectal cancers–a form of preventable cancer–are the top cause of cancer-related deaths for men in their 20s, 30s and 40s today, and will be the top cause for women by 2030, according to the American Cancer Society. This is why we know being seen saves lives.
Seeing people take the steps to BE SEEN, a movement we launched to amplify important health topics, has been the fuel for me to keep speaking out, establish a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in order to reach more people and, ultimately, to eradicate death from young-onset colorectal cancer. Another goal is to keep educating people about the questions to ask and the ways to break through the healthcare system which can be daunting to navigate.
Westchester resident Shannon Matthews feared a colonoscopy, especially after knowing her grandfather had colon cancer and her great-aunt also passed away from the disease. She shared that BE SEEN was the nudge she needed to schedule her screening where two polyps were removed and one was confirmed pre-cancerous.
“I’m so proud of facing my fear head on, and oh you know, from the rear!” she quips, as she encourages others to get screened.
Life, as anyone who has met cancer knows, turns upside down overnight when diagnosed. Being a 39-year-old mother of three boys working professionally and growing a family raised the stakes. Throughout my treatment, I wondered if I would have that lightning-rod moment when the path of my life’s purpose would pivot the same way many people I know did after overcoming terminal illness. I’ve made pivots before: Broadway vocalist to a career as a Chief People Officer for growing tech companies.
Cancer survivor was my latest life pivot, leaving me asking myself, “What do I really want to be when I grow up?” as if I was a high school senior all over again.
Frustrated after being met with push-back trying to break through to media outlets, our community stepped up to make inroads–the same people who helped us through treatment helped us break through to amplify the mission: The New York Times, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Doctor Radio on Sirius and regional news outlets amplified our movement. We’ve since reached hundreds of thousands of people and launched a podcast, From Carpools To Chemo, resulting in 175 people taking our pledge to BE SEEN. So far, what has been most meaningful is that BE SEEN is credited with life-saving intervention for 10 people we personally know who had a colonoscopy with pre-cancerous polyps removed. And we know we can save so many more!
“The whole prep was not nearly as bad as I expected. I still don’t know how you survived and endured without a mentor like yourself to lead you through it,” shared Teri Taylor, a working mother of five, who has since learned the importance of having pre-cancerous polyps detected and removed to avoid colorectal cancer.
Adversity has the power to become fuel for a better future and facing my cancer made a lasting difference for our family. I invite you to share your time with those you care about in a purposeful way. If you learn something new about yourself, your family and your children along the way that you’re willing to share, I’d love to hear from you at BE SEEN.
Marisa Peters is a rectal cancer survivor and Broadway vocalist turned producer, keynote speaker, author and women’s health advocate. Most notably, she is a mom of three boys and lives in Westchester with her family.
To join the BE SEEN movement, take the pledge at BESEEN.care.
By Marisa Peters. Photos by Zsuzsi Steiner.
