Karina was fit, strong, and healthy – then it all went wrong
When Karina Ureña began experiencing abdominal pain, she dismissed it as nothing more than her typical period cramps. Fit, health-conscious, and preparing for her first half marathon, cancer was the furthest thing from her thoughts.
However, months later, after the discomfort intensified and relentless nausea dominated her life, she received the heartbreaking diagnosis: she had stage 4 colon cancer that had metastasised to her liver, lungs, and ovaries.
“I thought it was just my period,” Karina says. “I was eating clean, running daily, and felt the healthiest I’d ever been. Cancer wasn’t even on my radar.”
During August and September, Karina journeyed to Key West, Maui, and Mexico, three fantasy destinations that should have been packed with memories of beaches and sunsets, not illness, reports Bristol Live.
Yet throughout her adventures, she discovered herself being sick without warning. “I’d be driving and suddenly have to pull over to vomit,” she says. “I told myself it was stress, jet lag, or food, but deep down something didn’t feel right.”
As the months progressed, her symptoms deteriorated. By October, she was perpetually exhausted and shedding weight rapidly, but she persevered, resolved not to allow anything to sabotage her marathon ambition.
In November, she participated in the San Francisco Half Marathon, an occasion that became a pivotal moment in her journey.
“I threw up five times during that race,” she recalls. “But I finished it. I didn’t want to admit to myself that something serious might be wrong.”
Despite numerous A&E visits, medics brushed off her symptoms as a tummy bug or hormonal issues, prescribing anti-sickness tablets that merely concealed the agony.
It wasn’t until February that her GP finally ordered a scan. The devastating results appeared on her patient app before the doctor had even returned to the room.
“I’ll never forget reading the words, a 9.2cm mass on my ovary, cancer that had spread to my liver and lungs. My heart dropped,” she says softly. “My mum was sitting next to me, smiling, making small talk. When I told her, she broke down crying. That moment is something I’ll never forget.”
Medics initially suggested a complete hysterectomy, removing her womb and ovaries, to halt further spread. For Karina, who still harbours dreams of motherhood one day, it was devastating news.
“The thought of losing that part of me was unbearable,” she says. “I’m still getting second opinions because it’s such an emotional decision.”
It was only following her diagnosis that Karina, 30, from Napa, California, in the US, began to grasp just how dramatically her life had altered.
For the past six years, she had grafted in the insurance sector, living a hectic, independent existence filled with fitness, travel, and mates. Now, her days centre around treatment, rest, and moments of contemplation. Despite the grim diagnosis, Karina’s determination shines through.
She started chemotherapy in March following surgery to remove the largest tumour and her right ovary. Eleven rounds in, she shares her journey with brutal honesty and incredible strength on her TikTok page, where she chronicles treatment updates, health reflections, and precious moments of quiet joy, like reading in the sunshine or celebrating small victories.
Karina now lives with a colostomy bag, something she acknowledges has been one of the most challenging aspects of her journey to come to terms with. During surgery to remove a massive tumour from her right ovary and colon, medics had to redirect her bowel to allow her body to recover and prevent complications from the cancer’s spread.
“It was such a shock at first,” she says. “I remember waking up and feeling completely different. Learning how to live with a colostomy bag has been a huge adjustment, both physically and emotionally, but I’m slowly getting used to it. It’s become part of my fight, a reminder that I’m still here and still healing.”
One of her greatest supporters is her mum, who never misses a chemotherapy session. “My mum has been my rock,” Karina says.
“She always knows how to comfort me when I’m sick. She takes me out into nature, even if it’s just to sit and listen to the birds. Those moments remind me I’m still me.”
Her father’s cancer battle has also been a source of both anguish and inspiration. In 2015, he was diagnosed with stage 3B colon cancer and ultimately defeated it.
“Watching my dad go through it was heartbreaking,” she admits. “I never really got over it emotionally. But seeing him alive and healthy today gives me hope that I’ll get there too.”
On June 1, National Cancer Survivors Day, Karina found herself reflecting on their shared battle.
“It’s strange,” she says.
“My dad beat stage 3 colon cancer ten years ago, and now I’m fighting stage 4. We did all the genetic testing, and it’s not hereditary. That’s the part that really messes with my head. But it also reminds me that anyone, at any age, can get this.”
Whilst chemotherapy has wreaked havoc on her body, with exhaustion, sickness, and adapting to life with a colostomy bag proving the toughest challenges, Karina continues to discover joy in simple, everyday moments.
“This diagnosis has taught me to slow down and appreciate the little things,” she says. “I love sitting outside with my cup of tea, listening to the birds, feeling the fresh air. I used to be go, go, go, now I let myself just breathe.”
Literature has also provided her sanctuary. “Reading has been my comfort,” she smiles.
“I just finished The Housemaid series and can’t wait for the movie to come out in December. It’s something to look forward to.”
Looking ahead, Karina stays realistic whilst maintaining optimism. “I’ve learned what truly matters, my health, my family, my close friends,” she says.
“I’ve put my life on pause, but that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped living. I still laugh, I still dream, and I still believe in healing.”
Her message to others her age is simple but powerful: “Listen to your body. Don’t ignore persistent pain or changes that don’t feel normal. Prevention can save your life. If I’d gone to the doctor sooner, maybe things would be different. But all I can do now is fight, and I’m not giving up.”