Courtney Freeman

Colorectal Surgery

As a busy mother of three young children, Courtney Freeman’s days are nonstop from sunup to sundown, and she loves every moment being with her family and friends. Then at just 32 years old, her life took an unexpected turn when she noticed small amounts of blood in her stool. Not overly concerned, she spoke with her primary care physician who recommended as a precaution to get a colonoscopy. Courtney saw Board Certified General Surgeon, Dr. Steven Jackson, with NRMC General Surgery Associates, who scheduled her for a screening colonoscopy. During the procedure, he found one small polyp. When the biopsy report came back, Courtney learned that she had stage 2 colon cancer. Because the cancer had penetrated into the colon wall, Dr. Jackson recommended removing 8 inches of her colon and nearby lymph nodes. Concerned, he scheduled her for surgery a week later, not wanting to delay her care.

“The surgery went well. I spent three days in the hospital at NRMC,” Courtney said. “I’ve always had good experiences at the hospital. All three of my children were born at NRMC. This time was no different. Dr. Jackson was great and so were the nurses. I am so thankful for their good care. I was taken care of across the board – everyone helped me.”

Courtney goes back for a follow up colonoscopy in November. “I tell everyone to get all their screenings done – mammography, prostate, colon. Everyone needs to realize, cancer can affect anyone, so do all that you can to find it early. Take care of yourself and go to your doctor if anything seems wrong,” Courtney explained.