Carla Deschamps

At the age of 34, I received the biggest news of my life, which was my diagnosis with colon cancer. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

Five years after being diagnosed with colon cancer, I would like to share how my support system continues to play a role in my life after active treatment.

Writing helped me focus on gratitude and healing after my colon cancer diagnosis, transforming the act into a powerful recovery tool.

I share my challenges and healing journey through colon cancer treatment, emphasizing mindset, self-healing and a newfound appreciation for life.

I became a colon cancer survivor after my 2020 diagnosis, and I share how my scars, mindset shifts and journaling helped me embrace this second chance.

Connecting with nature through journaling, walking and meditation helped me heal during and after colon cancer treatment.

After being diagnosed with colon cancer, I learned the life-changing lessons of self-love, stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing positive thinking.

Being diagnosed with colon cancer at 34 was difficult, but choosing happiness and acceptance helped me find peace through mindfulness, nature and family.

Faith, from my perspective, is believing in the unseen, and was something I rediscovered following my colon cancer diagnosis.

My colon cancer journey showed me how compassionate doctors can change lives, as their kindness and care gave me strength and hope throughout my recovery.

I share how faith, positive affirmations and resilience helped me overcome stage 2 colon cancer and find strength in recovery.

Receiving a diagnosis of colon cancer at age 34 was such a shocking experience, but it has helped me become more strong-willed.

When my grandmother passed away one Thanksgiving after my colon cancer diagnosis, I realized how grateful I am for her life and my own as a survivor.

With Thanksgiving coming soon, I find that November is the perfect time to reflect and gather feelings of gratitude as a cancer survivor.

Carla Deschamps shares her experience with colon cancer and how her brother, sisters and parents helped her through the journey.

As many of us have experienced, the COVID-19 pandemic affected our lives. But at the beginning, I was receiving treatment for cancer.

I invited my family to gather with me and celebrate four years of being cancer-free.

Through journaling and connecting with my faith, I was able to embrace everything I was thinking and feeling during colon cancer.

My views on scars — both physical and emotional — changed throughout my cancer experience.

I watched two relatives go through cancer treatment. When I received my own diagnosis, I was thankful that my chemotherapy was more tolerable.

Before having colon cancer, I struggled with self-esteem, but my diagnosis allowed me to love myself more.

During my recovery period after colon cancer, I focused on visualizing myself living a healthy life and healing after cancer treatment.

Meditation helped me quiet my mind and adopt a positive mindset after being diagnosed with cancer.

After I had surgery for my colon cancer, I started taking better care of myself, starting with regaining weight.

I use affirmation as a technique to turn my negative thoughts about colon cancer into positive ones. Now, I see cancer as a blessing in disguise.

At first, I wanted to avoid receiving chemotherapy at all costs, but I realized taking it would be the beginning of staying cancer-free.

Before cancer, I started to lose myself, but cancer taught me that loving myself isn't selfish.

When I first received my diagnosis of colon cancer, I felt so negative. So, I started positive self-talk and it's changed my outlook for the better.

After I was diagnosed with colon cancer, I learned to take care of myself more and be more outspoken than ever before.

Even though conquering cancer scared me, I knew being courageous would help me with the fight.