If you hear shouting from the rooftops in and around New London, MO, don’t worry.  It’s just Jennifer Epperson – a Blessing employee, Josh’s wife and Madison and Cal’s mom.  She has every reason to shout from the rooftops. Here’s why:

The story begins in March 2021. Jennifer is on Facebook and sees an advertisement for Blessing’s free, take-home colorectal cancer screening kit program. Held each March, Colorectal Awareness Month, people perform the screening in the comfort and privacy of their home and mail it in for results.

Jennifer’s grandmother died from colon cancer, and for some time, Jennifer had been experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms she thought could be signs of colon cancer.

What sealed the deal for her was a Blessing patient testimonial video that was part of the ad. It featured a husband and wife. The husband learned of the Blessing free screening program and convinced his reluctant wife that they should both do the screening.  The husband’s screening was negative. The wife’s screening was positive. Surgery, and the free screening kit, saved the woman’s life.

“I nudged my husband and said, ‘Hey! We should probably get these just in case one of us has cancer,” Jennifer recalled.

While Josh declined, Jennifer did the screening. It came back positive for colon cancer.

That result led to a colonoscopy by one of Blessing’s board certified gastroenterologist, Dr. Daniel Moore, and a confirmation that, at the age of 45, Jennifer had stage 2 colon cancer.

“I was scared,” she said. “Terrified at the thought of possibly dying at an early age and not seeing my kids grow up.”

However, working with one of Blessing’s cancer navigators, Diana Seals, RN, helped calm Jennifer’s fears. Navigators are a source of support and education for patients who choose to involve them in their care at no cost.

“She was very reassuring and comforting,” Jennifer said. “Diana told me to take it one step at a time.”

Two weeks from the confirmation of her diagnosis, Blessing’s double board-certified colorectal cancer surgeon, Dr. Harsha Polavarapu, removed more than a foot of Jennifer’s colon and more than two dozen lymph nodes.  The cancer had not spread. Jennifer would not need chemotherapy or radiation.

 “My symptoms are gone and I have tons of energy back,” she happily reported.

Jennifer had little time to spare in getting care. Her triple board-certified medical oncologist, Dr. Kellie Flippin of the Blessing Cancer Center, told Jennifer the pathology report showed her cancer was close to breaking through the colon wall, at which time it could have spread easily to other parts of her body.

In addition to praising the exceptional clinical skill and bedside manner of her doctors, Jennifer appreciates the quick access to the care she needed.

“I joined a Facebook group of colon cancer survivors,” she said. “While I had surgery within two weeks of my diagnosis, there were people in the group from other states who had to wait 3-to-4 months for a surgery date after their diagnosis.”

Jennifer recommends Blessing’s free, take-home colorectal screening kit program each March to everyone.

“Whole-heartedly yes,” she exclaimed. “I shout it from the rooftops now. It saved my life.”

Jennifer has even more reason to shout from the rooftops. Based on her experience, husband Josh scheduled a colonoscopy. The results showed no sign of potential cancer.