Meagan Meadows was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at just 24, but she rang the bell after her last round of chemo exactly eight months later
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Credit: courtesy meagan meadows
NEED TO KNOW
- Meagan Meadows was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer at 24 years ago
- Exactly eight months after her diagnosis, she completed her last round of chemo
- Now she’s sharing what she wished she’d known before she started her treatment
One woman is sharing a look inside her life after completing her cancer treatment.
Meagan Meadows was just 24 years old when she found blood in her stool, leading her to medical tests that would result in a stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis. Eight months to the day after her diagnosis, Meadows rang the bell at the close of her last round of chemo.
“The first few days after ringing the bell, I was recovering like any other round of chemo: sleeping a ton and struggling to eat due to nausea and stomach aches,” Meadows tells PEOPLE. “Once these symptoms subsided, I picked myself up and started making changes to my diet and lifestyle to be as healthy as possible.”
Meadows originally went viral for her video explaining her journey to diagnosis, sharing with millions of viewers the symptoms she almost overlooked before seeking treatment. Since posting that video, she’s diligently updated her followers on her progress, where she says she’s had a handful of people consistently comment with “love and support.”
Credit: courtesy meagan meadows
Now that she’s finished with chemo, she’s sharing a candid look at what life after treatment looks like.
“I signed up for a gym membership where I have been trying to go and walk a few miles on the treadmill at least 5 days a week. I also have started paying a lot more attention to my diet, minimizing additives and focusing on whole foods,” she shares. “I feel great physically; however, I have been facing some mental and emotional struggles related to my cancer diagnosis.”
Meadows admits she wasn’t expecting “how fast it would hit me after rinigng the bell,” noting that while she tried during and after treatment to listen to her body as much as she could, the transition process still took a toll on her mentally and emotionally.
“I have been going to therapy and I am also looking into joining support groups to help me navigate my way through,” she says. “Exercising and eating healthier has also helped me to feel like I have a small piece of control over my future by protecting my body and taking better care of it.”
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“This might be a hot take, but I listened to my body and gave it whatever it wanted/needed while I was going through treatment,” she continues. “I ate lots of sweets and junk food because if that was the only food that sounded good to me after not eating for a few days, I wasn’t going to deprive myself of that… I spent some days on the couch the entire day. I would go to bed around 8 pm and wake up at 10 am the next morning.”
Credit: courtesy meagan meadows
However, she notes that on days where she had more energy, she tried to push herself to get out of the house and walk, incorporating some movement into her day.
“I feel that doing these things helped my body recover better between rounds and allowed me to transition myself quicker into picking up the pieces once I finished treatment,” she says.
Healing isn’t a linear process, though, and Meadows notes she’s had some negative side effects of the treatment catch up to her, despite her finishing her last round of chemo.
“One of the chemo drugs I was on causes neuropathy, which I didn’t feel was too bad while I was going through treatment. However, since I have finished, it has progressed significantly,” she shares. “I struggle to do daily tasks like buttoning buttons, tying my shoes, doing the dishes, etc., because I can’t feel my hands. It is very uncomfortable, and I’m hoping it will get better over time.”
Now that she’s on the other side of her treatment, she admits she wishes she had known “how lonely cancer treatment can feel.” Though she had friends and loved ones who visited and checked in on her often, coupled with an online community offering their support digitally, Meadows says she still struggles “because even the people closest to me couldn’t truly understand how I felt physically and emotionally.”
“I don’t think there is any way to truly prepare yourself for that, though. It’s just the reality of going through cancer,” she says. “You have to accept that others can only understand so much and appreciate the love and support they do give. The rest you have to handle on your own pretty much, which really changes you as a person. You become so much stronger physically and mentally.”