Sandra Lehman did not have a colonoscopy until she was 64, and only then when she found blood in her stool. “I had been afraid to have a colonoscopy, and I never knew that you could be sedated.”

Sandra was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2005 and has faced the disease in the same analytical way. “I made a bad choice that was based on emotion, not reason,” she says, explaining why she had not got the colon cancer screening at age 50, when it is recommended.

Sandra, who plays the piano for enjoyment, was in the middle of working on her Master’s of Arts Degree in liberal studies with the University of Delaware when she was diagnosed. She kept working on her degree, only she changed the subject of her thesis to one focused on the decision process she was going through as she battled cancer. She carefully thought through every decision she was required to make in regards to cancer treatment. “I kept a positive attitude and did everything I could to ensure I would survive.”

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