• Cancer Survivor Colleen Westerman

EAST LANSING - More than three years have passed since Colleen Westerman lost her sister to cancer. After witnessing her sister lose her battle, Colleen was faced with a battle of her own. The unfortunate loss of a loved one led Colleen to know that fighting for your life largely depend on action during the earliest signs of symptoms.

"I did not want to go through anything that my sister had gone through," Colleen says. "I witnessed a lot of her discomfort and I just didn't want to do that."

Her sister had aggressive tumors that were putting off fluids and causing her a lot of discomfort. After having a C.A. 135 blood test, the results came back showing signs of late stages of cancer. Because of this, Colleen took action early and doesn't think she would be here today to share what early detection signs are and how to get tested with others.

"The symptoms that women need to look for in Ovarian Cancer are bloating, eating a meal and full all of a sudden, frequent or unusual urination, and any kind of unusual or new abdominal pains, and if those things come all of a sudden, or even or two of them and the onset is just there, you get about 12 incidents a month, you should go see your gynecologist," Colleen says.

Colleen and her husband Scott found out while living in New Mexico where Scott's alma mater Michigan State University offered him a job opportunity. Although Colleen was struggling, the Westerman's decided to move and it is that decision that helped save her life.

Because of the medical treatment she received at U of M an the medical breakthroughs both MSU and U of M, Colleen has become a cancer survivor.