When faced with cancer, you quickly learn that there are no easy choices — only the ones that feel right for you, in this moment. Recently, I reached a crossroads in my treatment for rectal cancer. My doctors presented two options: surgery to remove all of the cancer, which would mean living permanently with a colostomy bag, or continuing with chemotherapy and radiation in hopes that the tumor will shrink further.

Both paths carry risks, uncertainties, and emotional weight. Surgery offers a more immediate sense of finality — removing the cancer completely — but it also comes with a life-changing adjustment. Continuing treatment keeps open the possibility of avoiding permanent surgery, though it doesn’t guarantee that outcome.

After many conversations, sleepless nights, and quiet moments of reflection, I’ve chosen to continue with chemo and radiation. It’s a decision rooted in hope — hope that the tumor will respond, that my body will keep fighting, and that I can preserve as much of my life as possible as it is now.

This choice isn’t about fear of surgery. It’s about listening to my intuition and honoring what feels right for me right now. I know that the road ahead won’t be easy. There may still be surgery in my future — and if that’s what’s required, I’ll face it when the time comes. But for now, I’m giving chemo and radiation their chance to work.

I’m grateful for the incredible care team supporting me, for the science that makes these options possible, and for the friends and family who continue to lift me up through it all.

Cancer teaches you to live in the “what is,” not the “what if.” Today, what is — is hope.