Text a Survivor: Brad Moore on Life During and After Rectal Cancer Treatment

In the latest installment of CURE's "Text a Survivor" series, Brad Moore answers some of the most common questions people have about living with and beyond a colorectal cancer diagnosis.

Moore was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer in June 2021. After chemoradiation, surgery, chemotherapy and a temporary ileostomy, his cancer was reclassified to stage II, and he has been cancer-free with no evidence of disease since completing treatment. He now serves on the Colorectal Cancer Alliance's Never Too Young Task Force, where he works to raise awareness of early-onset colorectal cancer and support others navigating survivorship.

In the video, Moore responds to five questions submitted by the community. He reflects on what he wishes he had known in his first weeks after diagnosis, including how difficult it is to grasp what treatment will actually feel like, and the importance of focusing only on what can be managed one day at a time. He also opens up about adjusting to life with a temporary ileostomy, describing the psychological hurdle of the first few days and how routine made it more manageable over time.

Moore talks through how he and his care team approached the intensity of his treatment plan, why his stage reclassification didn't significantly shift his outlook at the time, and the long-term side effects he continues to manage, including peripheral neuropathy and low anterior resection syndrome. He shares how he has learned to talk about these challenges with people who assume that once treatment ends, life goes back to normal.

Moore's story offers an honest, firsthand look at survivorship, including the parts that aren't often discussed.

For more survivorship stories and treatment updates, follow along at curetoday.com and catch the next "Text a Survivor" video.