On Tuesday, Feb. 25th, Isabelle Bright, junior, was featured on the KU Medical Morning Update, which is hosted by KU Med. She and her oncological surgeon were interviewed in the studio on the live broadcast about her recent battle with cancer.
In April of 2024, Isabelle found out that she inherited a gene mutation from her father called CTNNA1. This gene mutation puts her at high risk of developing stomach cancer and a lower risk of other cancers such as breast and colon.
When Isabelle went in for her first surveillance endoscopy in October of 2024, the doctors discovered that she already had cancer, specifically signet ring cell carcinoma.
The cancer was in its earliest stage, so Isabelle and her family decided the best course of action was to have her stomach removed. Due to the aggressive nature of this specific cancer, the surgery took place in December.
In early January, Isabelle found out that the surgery was a success and she is now cancer free. She's working toward a full recovery. When asked how she's doing, Isabelle said, "I'm good. I'm starting to eat more kinds of food. I just can't wait until I can have a steak and salad."
Isabelle said she wanted to participate in the show because she wants to spread awareness about the importance of knowing your family’s medical history and the importance of getting tested early. She said, “Losing my dad was hard, but he saved my life. His dad died of the same cancer, so my dad had the doctors do the genetic testing on him. If he didn’t, I probably wouldn’t have known that I had cancer until it was too late.”
You can watch the program using the links below if you are interested in learning more about stomach cancer and the importance of genetic testing.