Andrew Reaster, a 29-year-old UPS driver in Georgia, had a sudden three-day-long stomachache.
His mom, Kathy Lemoine, desires extra younger folks and oldsters to know the dangers of colon most cancers.
This as-told-to essay relies on a dialog with Kathy Lemoine, 58, who lives in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Her son, Andrew Reaster, died on August 9, 2025, from colon most cancers. This story has been edited for size and readability.
My son Andrew lived life to the fullest daily.
He was a child at coronary heart, adorning his rental with Pokémon and Legos. He cherished his job as a UPS driver, and lots of of his clients cherished him. He would soar round and pet their canine. It appeared that every buddy he had thought-about him their greatest buddy.
On prime of his lively job, Andrew was additionally very regimented about his well being. He adopted a principally clear weight-reduction plan and by no means skipped his dental appointments. He additionally had good college attendance and was not often sick.
So when he known as me in January 2025 a couple of abdomen ache that would not go away for 3 days, I instantly known as a gastroenterologist in my city. Andrew got here within the subsequent day.
The physician instantly felt one thing arduous throughout Andrew’s rectal examination and scheduled an emergency colonoscopy. After a significant snowstorm, Andrew got here in a couple of days later. I went with him, considering the process would final at the least half an hour. Ten minutes later, I used to be known as in. They could not even match the scope by due to the blockage.
Inside every week, we realized he had stage 4 colon most cancers, with the most cancers spreading to his liver, lungs, and abdomen lining.
That is when our nightmare started.
The toughest resolution I ever needed to make
Kathy Lemoine (middle) with Andrew and her daughter in Might 2025. That is the final photograph they took collectively.Kathy Lemoine
We realized from the CT scans that the mass could not be surgically eliminated and that Andrew would require chemotherapy remedy and a colostomy, a process that creates a gap in his stomach to gather waste by a colostomy bag.
I could not breathe. I felt like there was a hand squeezing my coronary heart. As a result of Andrew had Asperger’s, now generally known as autism spectrum dysfunction, I knew if I centered on the unfavourable, that is what he would find yourself doing, too. So I stated, “OK, honey, we are able to do that.”
He went to the entrance desk to begin the paperwork for short-term incapacity. I known as the physician over and requested for a prognosis. He advised me that with out remedy, Andrew had about one month to dwell. With remedy, about six.
After Andrew drove dwelling, I known as my mother. I broke down on the telephone. I used to be inconsolable. I stated, “I simply cannot imagine that my son is dying.”
Andrew labored proper till the day earlier than his colostomy in February 2025. He was so frightened about getting his short-term incapacity paperwork proper so he would not lose his job. All he talked about was having the colostomy bag eliminated and going again to work after he kicked most cancers’s butt.
The colostomy was presupposed to contain a three- to five-day hospital keep. As a result of issues, Andrew ended up being there for 48 days. He had fevers, which the hospital workers first thought have been infections however later deduced have been brought on by his most cancers.
As a result of Andrew gave me energy of lawyer, the physician pulled me apart and stated, “Mother, you’ve gotten an enormous resolution to make.” With out chemotherapy, Andrew would solely dwell for about three extra weeks, however given how weak he was, there was an opportunity he would not make it by the evening if we began now.
It was the toughest resolution I ever needed to make. I knew I might remorse not making an attempt chemotherapy. I sat with him all through the three-day routine, ready to see what occurred. It was scary as a result of I may have misplaced him at any level. We ended up watching “Automobiles,” “Quick & Livid,” and all these completely different films.
He made it. The physician was shocked. I assumed, “Oh my God, we will kick this.” Andrew got here again for his second spherical of chemo two weeks later.
Attempting to remain optimistic
Andrew began to really feel somewhat bit higher. He nonetheless could not work, however he went out along with his buddies. Within the meantime, a brand new physician nearer to Andrew’s dwelling inspired me to look into any scientific trials I may discover — he actually did not assume Andrew had very lengthy.
The chemo turned harsher and harsher on Andrew. His white blood cell depend was too low to proceed chemo, and he could not go to the toilet, even with the colostomy bag. Nonetheless, he appeared to maintain a optimistic outlook.
By the point he turned 30 in July 2025, he solely weighed 140 kilos, down from 210. Towards the tip, he did not need family and friends visiting him anymore, seeing how skeletal he’d grow to be.
He suffered significantly. He was in fixed ache till he died on August 9, 2025.
In hindsight, I say, “Oh my God, I mustn’t have let him endure that lengthy. We should always have simply let him go.” However I believe if I let him go, then I might be saying, “Oh my gosh, we should always have tried more durable.” So it doesn’t matter what, I might have regrets, which I do.
It was heartbreaking, watching him fade away.
I nonetheless marvel if we missed early signs
Andrew had no household historical past of colon most cancers.Kathy Lemoine
We had no concept that colon most cancers was one thing to look out for. Andrew was younger, had no household historical past, and by no means had any digestive points apart from that abdomen ache. I imagine that he most likely had little indicators right here and there, however simply did not know or dismissed them.
Colon most cancers is now the deadliest most cancers for folks underneath 50. It is also very treatable if caught early. I need folks underneath 45 to know all of the dangers, to allow them to get screened the second they discover any warning indicators, whether or not they get colonoscopies or at-home colon most cancers exams.
I additionally assume folks wrestle to speak about colon most cancers as a result of it has to do with their butts, and I hope to make it much less of a taboo subject.
I lately restarted Andrew’s Instagram account to share details about colon most cancers. I put up an image of him that claims, “I’m 29 with Stage IV Colorectal Most cancers on this pic and will probably be gone in 4 months.” Greater than 400,000 folks seen his profile in that month.
My son did not have a snowball’s likelihood in hell. I hope, with extra consciousness, younger folks — and their mother and father — will notice how severe colon most cancers is.
Correction: Might 16, 2026 — An earlier model of this story misstated the time between Andrew Reaster’s prognosis and his demise. He was identified in February 2025 and died 6 months later.
Learn the unique article on Enterprise Insider