Emma Weston-Dimery faced a daunting crossroads in her life. Diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at the young age of 23, she had been grappling with persistent abdominal pain for months before the diagnosis emerged. Over the years, she underwent multiple treatments, including rounds of chemotherapy, four years of immunotherapy, and a staggering ten major abdominal surgeries. One particularly intense procedure involved using heated chemotherapy drugs directly in her body.
Despite these extensive efforts, a decade later, the cancer remained and seemed to be spreading. “Throughout this entire 10-year journey, I never reached remission,” Weston-Dimery reflected in conversation. “The treatment might have made progress in some areas but in others, the cancer just kept growing back. It felt like a constant battle with no clear winner.”
The cancer had metastasized to various organs, including her ovaries and fallopian tubes, and it felt like they were just playing a game of whack-a-mole with the treatments, waiting for it to invade a place they couldn’t operate on. “I started to think I was out of options. Hope was slipping away,” she shared.
It was only after this sense of despair that she got a referral to a clinical trial, becoming one of twelve patients with colon cancer to receive a promising experimental treatment.
Fast forward three years, and now at 37, Weston-Dimery finds herself completely free of cancer. She credits the innovative treatment with saving her life, holding out hope that the cancer will stay away for good. “Even now, it’s hard for me to say the word ‘cured.’ I think it feels surreal,” she stated. “But, really, that’s the reality we’re facing.”
Weston-Dimery is part of an alarming trend: more young adults are receiving colon cancer diagnoses, making it the leading cause of cancer deaths in individuals under 50. While cases in older adults are declining, rates among younger individuals have risen by roughly three percent annually.
From a young age, she battled gastrointestinal issues, often waking up at night due to severe cramps and nausea. Visits to doctors yielded little clarity; many dismissed her symptoms. However, in late 2013, she developed new symptoms, leading to a troubling physical exam that revealed her dangerously low red blood cell count.
Subsequent tests unveiled her stage 4 cancer diagnosis after tumors were discovered in her colon. The stark reality hit hard. “I was only 23 and didn’t fully grasp the seriousness of it; my mom took it much harder,” she recalled. After her first surgery in December of that year to remove tumors, she began a rigorous chemotherapy regimen.
Unfortunately, the series of treatments had little success. More surgeries, chemotherapy, and even immunotherapy followed, with each effort failing to achieve a lasting cure. A pivotal moment came in 2015 with a difficult HIPEC procedure, which involved removing tumors and flooding her internal cavity with heated chemotherapy drugs.
Even after the tumultuous medical journey, the cancer persisted. Just when she felt at her lowest, a new oncologist at the University of Minnesota introduced her to an innovative clinical trial. This trial involved a unique therapy utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 technology to modify immune cells to target her cancer more effectively.
Weston-Dimery applied for the trial in 2020 and prepared herself for the significant undertaking. “It felt like I had nothing to lose,” she mentioned of her decision. After extracting immune cells from a tumor on her left ovary, she had them reintroduced into her body in early 2023. When she underwent scans a month later, doctors discovered that two of her three cancerous nodules had vanished. When she returned for follow-up scans, all signs of cancer had completely disappeared.
Dr. Emil Lou, the oncologist overseeing the trial, expressed how remarkable this outcome was. Weston-Dimery was the only patient among the twelve to see such complete remission, a point of pride and relief for her. “It’s humbling,” she said. “I just feel this deep sense of gratitude.”
The trial’s initial phase revealed that half of the other patients did not experience further cancer growth after treatment, though most reported severe side effects. Dr. Lou expressed a desire to understand why Weston-Dimery had such a unique positive outcome and noted that the success rate was an area of ongoing research.
As he works toward a Phase 2 trial, aimed to explore a new treatment that requires less complex procedures, Weston-Dimery has taken it upon herself to spread awareness about clinical trials, hoping her experience will benefit others in the fight against cancer.
In February, she received recognition from TIME100 Health for her contributions to scientific advancement. “I want to share my story and help others where I can,” she said. “If this is my way to make an impact, I’m all in.”
