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Naiké Vorbe, 42, struggled with abdominal pain for several years and attempted various diets to find relief.
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At the age of 31, she discovered her genetic predisposition to colon cancer and was diagnosed at stage 3B.
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Following her diagnosis, Vorbe’s mother was also diagnosed early with stage 1 uterine cancer due to heightened awareness of genetic risks.
Vorbe sought ways to alleviate her ongoing abdominal pain. A dietitian suggested she eliminate gluten and lactose, but these measures didn’t help at all. She had experienced stomach discomfort throughout her adult life, alternating between constipation and diarrhea. “It was always one or the other,” she explained, recalling how during her second pregnancy, a gynecologist dismissed her bowel issues as mere pregnancy symptoms.
However, the pain grew worse, leading her to say that “using the bathroom was more painful than giving birth.” She felt compelled to check her stomach frequently, sensing that something was wrong, and eventually discovered a lump while lying down.
Not long after, Vorbe scheduled an appointment with a gastroenterologist in Haiti, who advised her to fly to Miami to consult a colon cancer specialist at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
At 31, just two months post-partum, she received a diagnosis of stage 3B colon cancer.
Fighting for her fertility
A colonoscopy in 2014 showed a malignant tumor and led to surgery to remove part of her colon. Unfortunately, the cancer later spread to her liver.
Vorbe found herself uncertain about her future, especially with a six-year-old daughter and a newborn back in Haiti, alongside her then-fiancé, now-husband, who was busy with his film career.
She arranged her chemotherapy sessions for Thursdays, allowing her to travel back to Haiti on Fridays to be with her eldest daughter for the weekend. This became a routine for her over the next ten days.
She was also worried about how chemotherapy might impact her ability to have more children. When she asked her doctor about her fertility after treatment, he prioritized her survival. “For my life to be worth it, I need the answer to this,” she insisted.
The doctor referred her to a gynecologist who prescribed a monthly hormone treatment to reduce the risk of infertility caused by chemotherapy.
Vorbe described the doctor as a “big angel,” appreciative of the support she received. She underwent 12 rounds of chemotherapy, and after the fourth, she was scheduled for part of her liver to be removed. However, after a break from chemo to recover and marry her husband in Haiti, doctors found no cancer remaining in the liver.
Vorbe grappled with the idea of stopping chemotherapy, feeling it should end once the tumors were gone, but her doctor recommended completing all 12 cycles to bolster her chances of a successful long-term outcome.
An underlying genetic risk
Vorbe recalls having unexplained stomach issues as a child, which led her father to take her for tests. As an adult, when she found a lump, a gynecologist had merely suggested an enema.
She felt overlooked due to her youth and perceived health. Within her Haitian culture, discussing bowel issues is often avoided, which added to her struggles.
After her diagnosis, Vorbe underwent genetic testing and discovered she had Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition that increases the risk of colon cancer. She reflected on whether her grandmother had also faced this issue, due to her untimely death at 48, which no one correctly understood at the time.
Dr. Sussman, her gastroenterologist, noted that the field of genetics is still developing, which might leave many family members unaware of their potential cancer risks. Vorbe “became the first to undergo genetic evaluation” in her family.
Her mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer earlier
Vorbe, now a mother of five and in remission for ten years, adheres to yearly colonoscopies and has endoscopies every two years due to her Lynch syndrome risk.
Understanding Lynch syndrome helped her, and it also led to an early diagnosis of uterine cancer for her mother, who shares the same genetic risk.
Initially, her mother had a polyp in her uterus that was ignored because it hadn’t changed over time. However, after being informed of Vorbe’s situation, her gynecologist promptly scheduled a biopsy, resulting in a stage 1 uterine cancer diagnosis and subsequent surgery.
Vorbe credits her family with providing vital support throughout her treatment process, affirming, “There’s no way I can die: I have these two beautiful little girls right in front of me. I want to see them grow up.”
Despite the distance—a two-hour flight—her family motivated her during her recovery. Her godmother attended her first chemotherapy session, and her cousins made the trip to Miami to support her afterward. Meanwhile, her sister-in-law helped care for Vorbe’s baby overnight, ensuring she could focus on treatment.
“I had so much love and light around me, it just carried me,” Vorbe expressed.
