Woman who was given 3-6 months to live with 'most preventable cancer' issued a warning to others

A woman who was given just three to six months to live after being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer used her final days to issue a warning to others.

Comer found out that she had had stage four colon cancer, which had metastasized to her liver. Credit: GoFundMe

Jamie Comer, from San Francisco, was 47 when a routine blood test triggered a life-altering discovery. Doctors soon revealed she had advanced colon cancer that had spread to her liver. The diagnosis was bleak.

“I had 45 tumors on my left side and 12 tumors on my right side, and [I was told] that I would likely die in three to six months,” she told ABC 7News.

Despite being told she was terminal back in 2016, Comer defied all odds, enduring nearly a decade of brutal treatments before finally entering hospice care just last month.

Her fight wasn’t easy. Comer underwent a staggering 190 rounds of chemotherapy, seven surgeries, and between 60 to 70 scans. Some chemo sessions lasted up to 11 hours. “I feel like my insides are burning up. I feel hot,” she recalled.

At one point, doctors implanted an infusion pump in her abdomen to deliver chemotherapy directly to her liver. The effects were relentless: “low energy” and “vaguely nauseous” became her normal.

Still, Comer pressed on, driven by the love of her family. “The power of having children. I had an eight-year-old… I did not have permission to go,” she said.

Comer was taken off chemotherapy and received only palliative medication when she was 55.

“It wasn't a difficult decision. There were no treatment options that were working, and the chemo was making me sicker, so I couldn't recover,” she said. “Do I fight really hard or do I just give in?” she added, recalling a conversation with her hospice nurse.

Her message remained unwavering: colon cancer screenings save lives. Comer was diagnosed at 47, just before the recommended screening age was lowered from 50 to 45.

“Subsequent to that, the screening age was moved to 45. If that had been the case and I had been screened, I would have been inconvenienced for maybe 18 months, but it would not have been a death sentence," she said.

“I keep saying the same thing over and over: Screen early,” she insisted. “I'm really a pain in the butt. I keep saying the same thing - screen early, what about this, try this.”

Comer underwent 190 rounds of chemotherapy. Credit: Glasshouse Images / Getty

Colorectal cancer is one of the most deadly but preventable cancers.

It remains the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and fourth in women in the U.S., expected to claim around 52,900 lives this year alone, per the American Cancer Society.

While overall cases have dropped thanks to better screening and lifestyle changes, the numbers among younger people are rising by 2.5 percent per year between 2012 and 2021.

Experts say anyone with a family history of colon cancer should get screened earlier, at age 40, or 10 years before their relative’s diagnosis. For the general population, screening is now recommended from age 45 to 75.

Jamie Comer passed away last month. Credit: GoFundMe

Comer passed away at the age of 55 on April 11, 2025, after an extraordinary eight-year battle with stage four colon cancer that metastasized to her liver.

She is survived by her daughter, Olivia, her husband, Mark, his daughter, Georgia, her mother, Jean Comer, and her four beloved sisters, Lee, Jeannie, Corinne, and Krista Comer.

Her obituary states that she "wished to be remembered as a changemaker - someone who gave generously of her heart, spirit, and time".

"Her legacy lives on in every life she touched and in the beauty she brought to the world, whether through a warm embrace, a shared meal, or a life lived with intention," they added.

A celebration of her life was held in San Francisco on May 3. A GoFundMe was also set up to support her daughter.

Our thoughts are with Comer's loved ones.

Featured image credit: Glasshouse Images / Getty