Country Star Coffey Anderson Opens Up About His Wife's Stage 4 Colon Cancer
Coffey Anderson and wife Criscilla shared an update on Criscilla's health after her recent diagnosis of Stage 4 colon cancer.
Criscilla received her diagnosis after a period of remission following a diagnosis of Stage 3C colon cancer in 2018.
Criscilla will begin three months of chemotherapy, and the Andersons are remaining optimistic.
Coffey Anderson, 40, is asking for prayers amid his wife Criscilla Anderson's diagnosis of Stage 4 colon cancer. The Andersons opened up to People about Criscilla's health and how their family is coping.
In May of 2018, Criscilla, now 39, felt excruciating pain while she was in Kentucky for a dance event. She went to the emergency room, only to receive a diagnosis of colitis and some antibiotics. But the pain continued.
“As a mom, you always feel like you don’t have the time to deal with things like this,” the dancer told People. “But there came a point when I couldn’t ignore it anymore.”
“The whole time, I had been sharing my story on Instagram, and my girlfriend chimed in and told me that her dad was a GI doctor in Long Beach and that I should go see him,” she continued. “By that time, I was in excruciating pain. I mean, I had stopped going to the bathroom. It was bad.”
Her doctors attempted an emergency colonoscopy and found a tumor, diagnosing her with Stage 3C colon cancer. She spent nearly two weeks in the hospital and had two feet of her colon removed from her body.
A post shared by Criscilla💗 Anderson (@criscilla) on Jan 26, 2019 at 11:59am PST
Things were looking up as Criscilla went through a brief period of remission. But earlier this year, she received some bad news from her doctors. “The cancer has spread throughout my para-aortic region and has begun growing up my back,” she said, adding that her doctors recently diagnosed her with Stage 4 metastatic colon cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S., and it's on the rise in younger people. Although the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends getting a colonoscopy at age 50, this type of cancer is seeing an uptick in adults between the ages of 20 and 50.
Stage 4 colon cancer has a five-year survival rate of 14%, but the Andersons are staying optimistic. “My ultimate goal is to be in remission and have it not be chronic but be in a situation where it can be completely healed. The ideal, if that cannot happen, would be to keep it maintained and have it not spread any further for the rest of my life,” Criscilla said.
A post shared by Criscilla💗 Anderson (@criscilla) on Dec 10, 2018 at 1:53pm PST
Criscilla is beginning three months of chemotherapy at City of Hope National Medical Center in California, as well as working with a holistic doctor based in Houston. “I honestly feel like this man is going to change my life,” Criscilla told People. She already eliminated dairy, sugar, pork, red meat, bread, and grains from her diet, according to her Instagram.
"I’ve added a crap load of fruits and veggies. Coconut juice is my 'dessert drink' and I feel SO GOOD," she captioned a mirror shot. "Y’all- don’t wait until your diagnosed with cancer to make these changes. Do it NOW."
A post shared by Criscilla💗 Anderson (@criscilla) on Nov 14, 2019 at 2:46pm PST
Criscilla is leaning on her family for support, especially her three kids. “When they lay their head down on my shoulder, I just feel so lucky to be their mom,” she said. “When we are all together, everything is okay again.”
And Coffey promised to support his wife through everything. “When you say that you will be there for each other through thick and thin and through sickness and health, you have to mean it,” Coffey said. “There are a lot of moments that you can never prepare for. I mean, I never thought I would be helping Criscilla brush her teeth or get to the bathroom in the middle of the night. But we are willing to do it for each other. Each of us are giving 100 percent.”
“Life is not fair, but God is always good,” Coffey said. You can support the family's Go Fund Me here.
A post shared by Criscilla💗 Anderson (@criscilla) on Jun 16, 2018 at 3:05pm PDT
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