John Crump

On September 22nd, as a follow-up to a short bout with diverticulitis in July, I had a colonoscopy as recommended by my doctor. During the procedure, the doc found a tumor. Although it would need to be confirmed with biopsy results, he told Jill and me after the procedure he was 99.9% sure it was cancerous. He was correct.

That made for a long drive home. And a long couple of weeks before I started being seen by cancer specialists.

I’m being seen at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) which is the best cancer care available in the Northwest.

After a barrage of tests, on October 17th I received a diagnosis of Stage IV Rectal Cancer. It has already begun to spread to other parts of my body. My oncologist has estimated that without treatment I would last about six months; with chemotherapy, I have about 12 months.

I have some additional tests scheduled and haven’t decided upon what treatment I’ll elect to have, but I’ll need to make a decision in the next week or two.

After getting the diagnosis, Jill and I began the process of telling our families and closest friends. Those conversations have been difficult but very comforting and meaningful. Everyone has been completely genuine and sincere. All have respected our wishes and kept the news to themselves, which has been difficult for them, but something we truly appreciate.

At this point, Jill and I have the support we need. We’re making plans and getting ready for what’s ahead as best we know how.

You can probably imagine it can become exhausting to keep everyone who cares up-to-date on what’s going on. So, we decided to use CaringBridge to keep the people we care about informed. Our page on this website isn’t publicly accessible; we determine who has access. But you are welcome to share my diagnosis and prognosis with others.

By the way, we're not asking for donations for ourselves or any other cause. If you choose to support CaringBridge, that's up to you. Any donation made at this site will help support CaringBridge only.

FC!