Kelly Spill realized that her wedding in Switzerland that was just a few months away would have to be called off. Even worse, she likely would never be able to get pregnant after treatment.
Kelly Spill was just 28 and pregnant with her son back in 2019 when she started to experience some concerning medical problems.
Most of the problems had to do with her bowels, including constipation and blood in her stool, she told Stand Up 2 Cancer. Fatigue also kicked in, but at the time she ignored it all as she and her then-boyfriend prepared to move across the country from California to New Jersey.
Kelly said in an interview with "Today" that her doctor assured her these medical concerns were all due to her pregnancy and not to worry.
“She pretty much said, ‘You’re having a baby in about a month, and things are moving around. Things are a little different in your body because you’re about to give birth. That made sense to me.’” Kelly told "Today."
Kelly then welcomed her son, but eight months later she said she still found her symptoms getting worse.
“I still was majorly constipated. I still had blood in my stool, and it was a dark, sticky type of blood, not bright red,” she told "Today." “I always feel weird saying this, but I know it’s important to say that it had a weird smell to it.”
This time, she says doctors told her it was hemorrhoids as a result of birth that were causing this, but Kelly still was not sure. She started keeping records and photographs until she says she eventually found her way to a doctor who upon hearing her symptoms ordered a colonoscopy.
Kelly said that she knew that the results would not be good, as by that time she had also started experiencing extreme loss of appetite and fatigue.
The colonoscopy revealed a tumor which turned out to be stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Kelly then realized that the wedding in Switzerland that was just a few months away would have to be called off. Even worse, she likely would never be able to get pregnant after treatment.
Then, just as she was getting ready to begin treatment, Kelly was offered a spot in a new trial that aimed to treat her cancer without undergoing chemotherapy and radiation.
Kelly started taking dostarlimab, an immunotherapy that is delivered via an infusion every three weeks for six months. By the end of her treatment, she says the tumor was gone.\
She now goes in for an MRI and PET scan every six months. This is because there is the potential for recurrence despite the fact that she had a "a clinical complete response" to the treatment.
Then, last month, another miracle for Kelly as she welcomed her second child, a daughter.
Now she has a message for anyone who has a similar experience.
“I felt very exhausted, and it made me second-guess what I was actually feeling because I was being brushed off. When you don’t have someone listening to you, it’s really, really hard to continue to keep going," said Kelly.
“Go with your gut when you feel something is up with your body,” Kelly told "Today." “Really advocate for yourself, continue to push.”
