Young mom from Staten Island battling colon cancer now in desperate need of liver donor
Originally published in
Staten Island Advance
on
.
A young mother battling colon cancer — highlighting the need for insurance-covered colonoscopies for younger patients — is now in desperate need of a liver transplant after enduring an extensive chemotherapy program and aggressive colon surgery.
Heather Candrilli, 36, who grew up on Staten Island, was diagnosed in May 2024 and underwent the chemotherapy treatments at Monmouth Medical Canter, part of RWJ Barnabas Health, in Long Branch, New Jersey, battling through a host of intolerable side effects.
“What we’re tying to do, and what we have been doing is making sure people understand that this could happen to anyone‚’’ he said, adding he’s grateful for the support of State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, a Democrat who represents the North Shore of Staten Island and part of South Brooklyn.
Spanton has co-authored a bill with state Sen. Christopher J. Ryan of Central New York, requiring that insurance companies provide complete coverage for colorectal screening tests, including colonoscopies, for patients beginning at age 35.
