How This Active Mom of 2 Is Thriving With ‘Chemo-Resistant’ Colon Cancer

Heather Kaiser was diagnosed with early onset colon cancer at 42, but continues to lead a full and healthy life. Image Credit: Healthline/Photo by Heather Kaiser Heather Kaiser was diagnosed with early onset colon cancer at 43. She shares the story of her diagnosis, treatment, and living a full life with cancer. As an overall healthy person, she never expected that her life would be turned upside down with a cancer diagnosis. As a mother of two young boys, Kaiser’s greatest concern was how she could continue to show up for them amid her battle against colon cancer. Heather Kaiser is a mom of two boys and an attorney living a full and busy life. When she went in to see her doctor in 2025 at age 43 about gastrointestinal issues, she had no idea she would be facing an indefinite medical journey. Kaiser initially assumed that her symptoms were most likely related to hormones or her diet. After an elimination diet, she began to feel better and joked to her friends that there was no way she could have cancer. However, her symptoms soon returned despite eating a healthy diet. Within a month of symptom recurrence, Kaiser found herself in the emergency room. She was once again sent home, this time being told that it was “just an ovarian cyst.” At a follow-up with her OB-GYN, she said her symptoms were finally being taken seriously, and she received a referral to a gastroenterologist. “Even the GI doctor didn’t think that it was cancer,” Kaiser told Healthline. “We all thought it was probably going to be irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or celiac disease.” However, when she came out of a colonoscopy, the doctor was visibly upset. He told her, “I cannot believe I have to tell you this. I found a mass the size of a fist.” He continued to tell her that it would have to be surgically removed and that it was most likely cancer. “I held out hope for a good week, as we waited for pathology,” Kaiser said. “But when I got it back, I was like, ‘OK, so … I have cancer.’” She didn’t