Meet Kelly

“Cancer has given me a whole new perspective on life. I see how important it is to value the small moments, and I am extremely grateful for each day.”

Kelly Spill was pregnant with her son in 2019 and looking forward to starting a family when she began noticing worrying symptoms. After giving birth, she was misdiagnosed several times until a colonoscopy turned up positive for stage three rectal cancer. “It was devastating. And at the very beginning of starting my life with my fiancé and our 8-month-old. My first thought was ‘I wonder how much time I have to live.’ I had no idea what my future had in store for me,” she says.

The potential treatments included chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, as well as a lifelong ostomy bag to help her digestive system function properly after surgery. Kelly was told she had to cancel her summer wedding in Switzerland. The worst news was that, due to the standard of care, she would most likely not be able to get pregnant again. “As someone who always dreamt of having a big family, it was extremely hard to hear that I most likely wouldn’t be able to carry another baby again.”

One day, as she was about to schedule her first chemo appointment, a research nurse let Kelly know about a new clinical trial led by  Stand Up To Cancer’s Colorectal Cancer Dream Team. If she participated, she would be the fourth person in the U.S. to do so. “It was a last-minute decision that changed my entire life,” Kelly remembers. “I did not know what was truly possible. I was happy to have my mother with me to help make the decision. We both thought it sounded a lot better than chemotherapy and decided to give it a shot”.

The trial treated Kelly’s cancer using immunotherapy as a first-line treatment instead of the standard treatments of chemo, radiation, and surgery. After just nine treatments, Kelly’s tumor had completely disappeared. Kelly is now cancer-free, and in 2023 she and her husband celebrated the birth of their daughter. “I’m just so grateful for this opportunity to be able to have her. I look at her as a miracle.” Kelly says.

“As I was going through treatment, I never took a minute to think about the funding behind cancer research,” Kelly admits. “I now know how important it is after this trial saved my life, gave me the quality of life I have now, and the opportunity to bring in another life into our family.”

Thank you for supporting cancer research and patients like Kelly Spill. 100% of your donation received supports Stand Up To Cancer and its collaborative cancer research programs. With your monthly gift of just $19/month or more, you will receive a Stand Up To Cancer t-shirt as a ‘Thank You’ and a reminder of your ongoing support to help CURE cancer!