LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On a cold winter afternoon, Emily Kicklighter sipped her oat milk latte at her neighborhood coffee shop, Sunergos.

What You Need To Know

  • Russell Farmer, UofL Health colon and rectal cancer surgeon, said the best way to detect cancer is to "listen to your body" 

  • Farmer said routine screenings are important because they can turn a deadly disease into something potentially treatable

  • The American Cancer Society recommends cancer screenings at age 40 (breast), 45 (colon and rectal), and 50 (lung)

“Cancer is an incredibly multifaceted disease,” Kicklighter said. “I was first diagnosed on Feb. 12 of 2024.” 

She isn’t facing a battle, but “healing with cancer,” as the 43-year-old put it. She’s a certified radical remission coach and workshop leader. 

“I had what was called a de novo diagnosis,” Kicklighter said. “From the start, I was stage 4, so it had already metastasized to my bones, which means that they don’t do standard care that they would normally do.”

“I had no surgery. I had no chemo, I had no radiation ... they try to back off any aggressive treatments, and it’s more palliative.”

Her prognosis was good, though she didn’t get to her mammogram screening at 40 because of her pregnancy, she said. 

“The most important thing for early detection really is listening to your body,” said Russell Farmer, UofL Health colon and rectal cancer surgeon. 

Kicklighter listened to her body.

“Arguably one of the most important things people can do for their health is screening for cancer because of all the types of cancer (colon, lung and breast) ... when caught early enough by screening, you can test in exams,” Farmer said. “All of those things are eminently treatable.”

“We’ve seen, as we’ve begun screening for these diseases through colonoscopy, mammography, chest CT and that type of thing, a drastic decrease in mortality over the past three to four decades once we’ve instituted these screening programs.” 

Farmer emphasized routine screenings because they can turn a deadly disease into something potentially treatable. According to the American Cancer Society, women 40 and older should start getting screened for breast cancer, those 45 and older should start getting screened for colon and rectal cancer and those 50 and older should get screened for lung cancer. 

“We have advanced so far in both chemotherapy and radiation therapy and the surgical treatment of these diseases that it’s not like what a lot of people think of when you get treated for cancer anymore,” Farmer said.

Kicklighter said she’s shifted her perspective since her diagnosis. 

“A terminal diagnosis is a really big gift to say you now you live the life that you want to live,” she said.

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