{"id":65765,"date":"2025-06-25T08:34:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T08:34:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/?p=65765"},"modified":"2025-06-25T08:34:57","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T08:34:57","slug":"stage-4-cancer-survivor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/?p=65765","title":{"rendered":"Stage 4 Cancer Survivor"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Stage<\/a><\/p>\n

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Susan Schmidt was just 45 when her body started whispering that something wasn\u2019t right. A mother of two and an experienced physiotherapist, she initially chalked up the persistent fatigue she felt in mid-2023 to early menopause or everyday stress. Even when she noticed changes in her digestion and occasional constipation, she didn\u2019t raise any alarms<\/p>\n

During a family holiday in France, her bowel habits shifted noticeably. But again, she dismissed the symptoms, attributing them to the rich food and travel routine. What she didn\u2019t know was that these subtle changes were early signs of a far more serious issue. It wasn\u2019t until she returned to Australia and experienced severe abdominal pain\u2014pain she later described as \u201cworse than childbirth\u201d\u2014that she finally sought medical attention.<\/p>\n

Family vacation packages<\/div>\n

Yet, even then, the warning signs were missed. Her doctor examined her and sent her home, not suspecting anything as severe as cancer. No one thought to look further. It wasn\u2019t until September 2023 that Susan was officially diagnosed\u2014with stage four colon cancer<\/p>\n

Today, at 47, Susan is in remission. And instead of staying silent, she\u2019s speaking out\u2014sharing her journey so that others might act sooner. As a healthcare professional, she understands how often symptoms related to digestion are dismissed or minimized\u2014especially by women juggling work, family, and personal well-being.<\/p>\n

In response, she founded The Floozie Foundation, a nonprofit aimed at supporting nurses and patients across Australia in the battle against colon cancer. Her mission: to dismantle the stigma surrounding bowel health, encourage earlier screening, and empower people\u2014especially women\u2014to advocate for themselves when something feels wrong.<\/p>\n

Susan\u2019s story is a compelling reminder: Don\u2019t ignore your body. Don\u2019t be embarrassed. Don\u2019t settle for vague reassurances. If something feels off\u2014even if tests are \u201cnormal\u201d\u2014keep pushing for answers. Early detection saves lives, and sometimes, survival depends on how loudly you speak up when no one else is listening.<\/p>\n

also read\u2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Susan Schmidt was just 45 when her body started whispering that something wasn\u2019t right. A mother of two and an experienced physiotherapist, she initially chalked up the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65765"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=65765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65767,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65765\/revisions\/65767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/65766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=65765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=65765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pulsperry.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=65765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}