Additional Coverage:
- A 25-year-old woman got engaged after landing her dream job. Days later, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. (businessinsider.com)
At just 25 years old, Anastasia Sevriukova began noticing troubling symptoms, including blood in her stool. Initially dismissing the signs as hemorrhoids and attributing her fatigue to her demanding engineering job, she delayed seeking medical advice. Despite lacking any family history of colon cancer, Anastasia was later diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, a shocking revelation that dramatically altered the course of her life.
Anastasia first noticed the bleeding but chose not to share her concerns with anyone close to her, including her then-boyfriend and mother. After researching her symptoms online, she considered both colon cancer and hemorrhoids but leaned toward the latter, given her family background.
She even attempted hemorrhoid creams without relief. When the bleeding persisted for months, she finally saw a primary care physician in September 2024, who scheduled her for a gastroenterology appointment four months later.
During this waiting period, Anastasia maintained her life in St. Louis, Missouri.
She worked as an aerospace engineer for Boeing’s military division and pursued watercolor painting, with one of her artworks featured in a local exhibition. At the end of 2024, despite facing a layoff from Boeing, she received an exciting offer from a San Francisco startup developing drones to aid Ukraine’s defense efforts-a dream opportunity given her Ukrainian heritage.
She also became engaged, marking a hopeful chapter amid professional and personal transitions.
However, just four days after her engagement, her diagnosis came: stage 4 colon cancer. The news forced her to halt her plans as she grappled with the severity of her condition.
Fatigue, which she had attributed to work stress, was actually a symptom of anemia caused by the cancer. A troubling incident where she felt intoxicated after a single glass of wine was explained by the cancer’s spread to her liver, impairing its function.
Anastasia declined the job offer and moved to Rochester, Minnesota, to be near her mother and receive treatment. She started iron infusions and underwent genetic testing, which showed no hereditary cancer predisposition-“just a stroke of bad luck,” she said.
Facing chemotherapy, Anastasia was informed that the treatment would likely impair her fertility. Given only two weeks to decide, she opted for egg retrieval and freezing at the Mayo Clinic-a physically and emotionally taxing process she does not regret. Shortly after the procedure, she began chemotherapy and antibody therapy tailored to the characteristics of her tumor.
Her treatment journey was complicated by a rare bowel leak following surgery, resulting in severe pain, infection, and the need for a stoma bag. These physical changes deeply affected her emotionally, challenging her body image and self-perception.
Despite aggressive treatment, her cancer was relentless, particularly in her liver. In June 2026, she underwent a liver transplant that left her cancer-free for three months. Unfortunately, new tumors appeared in her lungs soon after, and she prepared to resume chemotherapy.
Throughout her ordeal, Anastasia’s family and fiancé have been vital sources of support, accompanying her to hospital visits and communicating with her medical team. While treatment side effects have prevented her from working, she has embraced education, enrolling in community college computer science courses to advance her career in a new direction.
Anastasia acknowledges the emotional toll and the stigma surrounding colon cancer, emphasizing the importance of open conversations about symptoms and treatment realities. “It’s vulnerable and difficult to talk about,” she said, “but it has to be done.”
Her story highlights the challenges of facing a serious illness at a young age and the resilience required to navigate uncertain terrain with hope and determination.