My pregnancy was typical—until it wasn't. As much as my experiences were typical, my third trimester was atypical. I experienced constipation, dark, sticky blood in the stool, and an off-putting odor.

Unfortunately, my symptoms were dismissed by my doctors on multiple occasions and considered part of pregnancy and the post-partum experience; such as "internal hemorrhoids" and "body changes that occur during pregnancy." Eight months after giving birth to my beautiful, healthy, baby boy, Jayce, I finally had an answer: I was diagnosed with "stage three rectal cancer." As a new mom, who did not feel well daily, this was devastating news.

Shortly after Jayce was born, we decided to relocate from California to New Jersey to be closer to my family. At that point, I was terribly constipated, unable to sleep, had no appetite, extreme fatigue and weight loss. Since we moved across the country, health insurance was not immediately available, which delayed access to medical care.

The pivotal day was when I saw a pool of blood in the toilet and knew something was drastically wrong. My mom took me to the emergency room, where the ER doctor told me that I probably had internal hemorrhoids and to steer clear of spicy foods. My symptoms persisted and worsened.

I continued to feel brushed off, so once I got my health insurance sorted, I decided to see a new doctor. It was during that doctor's appointment that a nurse told me something I will never forget and that perhaps saved my life: "I j.