A Woman, 37, Says Common Colon Cancer Symptom Was Blamed on Pregnancy

When Gabby Zappia began experiencing blood in her stool for the primary time, her obstetrician rapidly reassured her. She was six months into her third being pregnant and was informed the symptom was seemingly brought on by pregnancy-related hemorrhoids.

So, Zappia returned to her busy life. Caring for her two children, ages 4 and 5 on the time, concerned nonstop carpools, lunches, laundry, and dishes.

“I nonetheless have just a little little bit of a tough time slowing down,” Zappia, 37, informed Enterprise Insider.

The day earlier than her due date in June 2024, Zappia, who’s primarily based in Mission Viejo, California, noticed considerably extra blood in the toilet, describing it as “blood diarrhea.” She instantly went to OB triage, the place she stated the workers appeared in disbelief, asking her if she’d taken any images. After a vaginal examination discovered nothing improper with the infant, they determined to induce labor.

After her son’s start, Zappia wished to concentrate on being with him. However when the bleeding persevered, she known as her main care doctor and was placed on a three-month ready listing to see a gastroenterologist. In December 2024, six months after she gave start, Zappia was recognized with stage 4 colon cancer.

Zappia, who had no household historical past of colon most cancers, had anticipated a prognosis like polyps or Crohn’s disease. “I am nonetheless shocked, truthfully,” she stated. “I used to be simply heartbroken. I assumed that I used to be invincible earlier than this.”

A baseball-sized mass

Zappia stated her GI was the primary time she felt her symptom was being taken significantly. Whereas she was within the workplace, he gave her a guaiac-based fecal occult blood check (gFOBT), carried out on a card that turns blue when stool samples include blood. The complete card turned blue, indicating a better quantity of blood.

He scheduled her for a colonoscopy, which concerned one other monthlong wait. It was then, in November 2024, that Zappia discovered she had a mass so large that it almost blocked her complete colon. She was scheduled for a colon resection surgical procedure, a process to take away a part of her giant gut, one month later.

“The mass was the scale of a baseball when she ended up taking it out, which is completely insane as a result of I am a small particular person, too,” Zappia stated.

It put in perspective how a lot discomfort she brushed apart within the prior months, together with the extreme fatigue she chalked as much as being pregnant. “The times after I felt essentially the most sick, like I used to be in thick mud simply attempting to get my day began, have been the times that I pulled myself collectively essentially the most,” she stated.

Zappia would all the time placed on make-up and attempt to be her ordinary bubbly self — one thing she wonders could have made it tougher for medical doctors to imagine her. “If I used to be type of trying sick, perhaps they might’ve been extra involved,” she stated.

Balancing motherhood with remedy

After her colon resection and a biopsy on her liver, the place the most cancers had unfold, Zappia was recognized with stage 4 colon cancer.

After she had healed from the surgical procedure, Zappia underwent a second surgical procedure for her chemotherapy port, which offers a handy entry level for chemo remedies, earlier than beginning a chemotherapy and immunotherapy routine. In between these remedies, she additionally underwent a liver resection and ablation surgical procedure to take away tumors. Zappia additionally had a hepatic artery infusion (HAI) pump put in in her stomach to ship concentrated doses of chemo on to her liver.

The mother of three younger kids stated the toughest a part of her prognosis was being a affected person whereas persevering with to be an engaged guardian.

“Whenever you’re a mother, you aren’t getting to pause,” she stated. “Your children nonetheless want you. They nonetheless need snacks. They nonetheless need you to be there for bedtime.” Whereas she stated they pushed her to remain energetic, forcing herself to stand up on days when she was recovering from chemo side effects resembling bone ache and flu-like signs, it nonetheless made her expertise additional difficult. For instance, she was afraid to carry her children out of worry of them by chance pulling the tubing of her chemo pump out.

It was additionally troublesome to search out childcare on days she was on the hospital. Nonetheless, she had her husband.

“I’m so extremely fortunate to have a tremendous husband,” she stated, who dealt with almost all of her family and childcare obligations all through remedy. “We have tried to sort out this as a group and work arduous to normalize life as a lot as attainable for the children, maintain issues routine, rejoice the little issues, and simply be sure that our residence nonetheless feels protected and stuffed with pleasure.”

Mates, household, neighbors, and folks from Zappia’s church additionally chipped in to assist with carpools and meals. “It actually does take a village, and we have actually wanted to lean on them all through this complete expertise,” she stated.

Bumps in remedy

After her liver resection, Zappia completed chemotherapy and rang the bell in September 2025 after having no evidence of disease. “It was an unbelievable milestone in my journey, however early,” Zappia stated.

Three months later, a PET scan discovered some most cancers exercise in her liver. After the preliminary shock of her new prognosis wore off, Zappia stated she realized she’d have “bumps within the street.”

“It is simply vital to concentrate on what I can management,” she added.

Zappia underwent a robotic liver resection on the finish of 2025 to take away the affected space. However after an MRI revealed a brand new tumor close by, she had the process once more in March 2026 — marking her third liver surgical procedure general.

After a number of surgical procedures, her blood checks discovered no indicators of illness as of April 2026.

As a result of colorectal most cancers is now the deadliest cancer for individuals underneath 50, Zappia believes individuals ought to be looking out for signs like bloody stools, which is among the most typical indicators of colon most cancers.

“Certain, it could be hemorrhoids, and that will be superior, however verify that,” Zappia stated. “Do not simply take the likelihood that that is what it’s.”