Mississippi Teen Battles Colon Cancer Through Phase I Clinical Trial At UAB

By Josh Till

In 2014, Maggie Hanberry was just like any other high school sophomore in her hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. At 15 years old, she enjoyed the usual teenage activities — spending time with her friends and family, going to church, doing her schoolwork. She had even decided to take up running and had, along with her mother, started training for her first 5K.

It was during that training that Maggie’s life completely changed for reasons she would never expect.

“Maggie and I started training together, and I noticed she was not progressing in the training plan,” said Maggie’s mother, Melissa Hanberry. “She would walk more than run. We entered a race, and we both finished; but several weeks later, she told me about some symptoms she had been having.”Maggie had been experiencing stomach pain and fatigue, and she had lost a good bit of weight. Her parents initially thought the problem could be treated with over-the-counter drugs and a change in diet, but the symptoms persisted. Upon seeing their family physician, Maggie confessed that, in addition to her other symptoms, she had also been passing blood. Her doctor referred her to a pediatric gastroenterologist in nearby Jackson for further tests.

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