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Mom with no symptoms had stage 4 colorectal cancer — and a rare surgery saved her life

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Mom with no symptoms had stage 4 colorectal cancer — and a rare surgery saved her life

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A Los Angeles mother of three says she’s lucky to be alive after an uncommon procedure left her cancer-free.

Amy Piccioli, a busy CPA, was just 39 when she visited the ER last year for what she thought was dehydration due to a stomach bug.

Instead, a CT scan revealed a mass in her colon and multiple lesions in her liver, which led to a colorectal cancer diagnosis — despite having “zero signs.”

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“I had no symptoms,” Piccioli told Fox News Digital. “I’m one of those people who’s very diligent about my health and very cognizant about changes in my body. So for this to have happened without any signs or symptoms was just shocking to me.”

Because the cancer had already spread, it was automatically a stage 4 diagnosis.

Amy Piccioli, a Los Angeles mother of three, says she’s lucky to be alive after an uncommon procedure left her cancer-free. (Amy Piccioli)

“I just went numb — I couldn’t believe it,” Piccioli said. “Immediately, you have those feelings of panic and fear.”

In June 2024, Piccioli began undergoing chemotherapy, along with an immunotherapy drug. Just three months later, scans showed that the chemo had shrunk the tumors. Next, she underwent surgery to remove a tumor from her colon. 

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An unlikely path

After completing the traditional courses of treatment, Piccioli found herself embarking on a path to liver transplantation.

“The cancer was all over my liver,” she shared. “In cases where the cancer is confined to one side of the liver, they can basically cut that portion out … but in my case, a resection was not a possibility because the cancer was everywhere.” 

RED FLAGS FOR COLORECTAL CANCER THAT WARRANT SCREENINGS BEFORE 45 YEARS OF AGE

Although the chemotherapy was successful, she said, “it was always going to be a ‘whack-a-mole’ situation, where I would be on systemic chemo for an extended period of time, new stuff would pop up, and it would just be this cycle over and over and again.”

“The chances of eradicating the cancer entirely from my liver with chemo alone was very slim. In cases like mine, liver transplantation is really the only long-term solution.”

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Piccioli (right) is pictured with Dr. Zachary C. Dietch, a transplant surgeon at Northwestern Medicine. (Northwestern Medicine)

Liver transplantation as part of a colorectal cancer treatment is more prevalent in Europe, but not common in the U.S.

JAMES VAN DER BEEK’S DEATH HIGHLIGHTS ALARMING COLON CANCER RISE IN YOUNGER ADULTS

“We just didn’t think it would be an option here,” Piccioli said. “It seemed like something that was going to require a lot of effort to get.”

Her California care team soon discovered, however, that Northwestern Medicine in Chicago offers a liver transplantation program specifically for metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

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“I have no evidence of disease currently,” shared Piccioli, pictured on the beach with her husband and three kids. (Amy Piccioli)

“When liver metastasis is noted, our medical oncologists, along with our transplant surgeons begin to make care pathways tailored to the patient,” Satish Nadig, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon and director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Transplant Center, told Fox News Digital.

The chances of a successful transplant depend largely on how the patient responds to treatment, according to doctors. In “carefully selected” patients, the five-year survival rate can be 60% to 80%.

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“Response to chemotherapy is a critical gatekeeper for liver transplantation in colorectal liver metastases,” Nadig said.

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“Demonstrated disease control or response is usually required, as it identifies patients whose tumor biology (less aggressive and not spreading quickly) is favorable enough to justify a transplant.”

“You have to be the captain of your own ship.”

Piccioli, who was in search of a living donor, shared the need with family and friends. A lifetime childhood friend, Lauren Prior, underwent screening and was deemed a match.

The transplant was performed in December 2025, making Piccioli the first person at Northwestern to receive a living donor transplantation for metastatic colon cancer.

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Today, she and the donor are recovering well.

“The first week or two were difficult, but by week four, I was up and around, getting back to doing normal life things,” she said. “About two months out, I started working out again. I’m now three months out and feel completely normal. It’s amazing what the body can do.”

Piccioli, who was in search of a living donor, shared the need with family and friends. A lifetime childhood friend, Lauren Prior (right), underwent screening and was deemed a match. (Amy Piccioli)

Piccioli recently had her first post-transplant blood screening for tumor molecules within the body, and none were detected. “So I have no evidence of disease currently,” she shared. 

She will remain in Chicago for ongoing monitoring and screening until the end of March, when she will return home to Los Angeles.

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On the lookout

Early-onset colorectal cancer is often “silent,” according to Nadig.

“That’s because screening is absent before age 45 and symptoms (such as slow bleeding) are usually subtle,” he cautioned. Tumors can also grow in hard-to-detect locations, like the right side of the colon, or with biology that “delays obvious warning signs.”

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Although Piccioli experienced no warning signs, she encourages others to pay attention to any changes in the body that may signal cancer.

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“Do the screenings at the recommended ages, follow up and just be diligent about your health,” she advised. 

“I think a lot of the reason that I got to Northwestern and was able to receive this transplant was because I was so diligent about calling the doctors, scheduling the appointments … I think that is really the most important thing: You have to be the captain of your own ship.”

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LeAnn Rimes’ emotional reaction to jaw release therapy sparks widespread buzz

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LeAnn Rimes’ emotional reaction to jaw release therapy sparks widespread buzz

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Singer LeAnn Rimes has gone viral for her reaction while receiving jaw release therapy.

In a session with Garry Lineham, co-founder of Human Garage in California — a resource for self-healing practices — Rimes received an intra-oral massage, releasing the tension in her jaw. She seemed to instantly feel relief, sobbing on the table.

Jaw release therapy, which involves the massaging or stretching of muscles in the face, is popular for relieving TMJ pain, headaches and jaw clicking, according to experts.

LEANN RIMES BREAKS DOWN INTO TEARS WHILE UNDERGOING ‘DEEP JAW RELEASE’

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In an interview with Fox News Digital, Lineham shared that stress has an immense impact on human health, especially on muscle tension and pain.

“We hold emotions in our body,” he said. “Emotions cause a sympathetic response or a stress response in the body.”

“When you release the jaw, instantaneously you come out of that fight or flight mode,” Lineham said. (iStock)

“Stress is one thing that impacts every disease, whether it’s emotional or physical, whether it is genetic,” he went on. “Stress is the thing that makes genetics pop. If you take away stress, those genetic markers no longer express themselves.”

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Clenching the jaw can create stress, which happens naturally with physical and emotional exertion, according to Lineham.

“If you clench your jaw and hold it there for three to five minutes … you’ll actually fire adrenaline and norepinephrine (hormones and neurotransmitters),” he said.

This sends a message to the body that you’re bracing for an “attack,” releasing hormones like stress, Lineham added.

“When you release the jaw, then instantaneously you come out of fight or flight mode.”

How jaw release works

Jaw release therapy targets the fascia, or the connective tissue that supports the body’s muscles, organs and joints. Stretching the fascia also allows the muscle to stretch, providing relief, Lineham said.

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“When you release the jaw, then instantaneously you come out of that fight or flight mode,” he said. “And if you’ve been there for a long time, like most people have, it instantaneously shocks the nervous system in a good way.”

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Dr. Justin Richer, oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Riverside Oral Surgery in New Jersey, shared the benefits and risks of jaw release treatment with Fox News Digital.

Jaw release therapy can help with facial pain and muscle tightness. (iStock)

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Certain muscles in the body, such as the shoulder or back, can tense up and “overreact to problems that are going on within them,” said the doctor, who did not treat Rimes.

“Jaw release is almost like a massage or similar technique, to put pressure on the muscles and let the tension that’s built up just kind of relax away,” he said. “It’s not something that a lot of people do.”

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The procedure is most beneficial for those with symptoms of TMJ, facial and muscle pain, and tightness, according to Richer.

Some physical therapists and massage therapists offer this treatment, but Richer recommends seeking help from an oral-facial pain specialist or surgeon who “really understands the anatomy of the jaw joint.”

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Dr. Richer recommends seeing an oral surgeon or specialist before seeking the procedure. (iStock)

“If it’s done properly, there’s very minimal risk,” he said. “What we get concerned about is undue manipulation of the joint, so either cracking or distorting or trying to forcefully move the joint . . . that can actually cause undue harm from an orthopedic perspective.”

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Despite the benefits, Richer stressed that this kind of therapy may be a temporary fix, as it could be treating only the symptoms of an underlying problem.

“Get a diagnosis first before you go ahead and start manipulating things,” he advised.

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Study reveals one simple eating habit that may help boost weight loss

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Study reveals one simple eating habit that may help boost weight loss

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Losing weight might be as simple as sticking to the meals you know, a new study found.

People who ate the same meals more often lost more weight during a 12-week weight-loss program, according to a new study published in Health Psychology.

“Maintaining a healthy diet in today’s food environment requires constant effort and self-control,” lead author Charlotte Hagerman of the Oregon Research Institute said in a statement. 

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“Creating routines around eating may reduce that burden and make healthy choices feel more automatic.”

Experts say maintaining muscle after 50 may require more protein than the minimum federal guideline. (iStock)

Hagerman and fellow researchers from Drexel University and the Oregon Research Institute analyzed food logs from 112 adults who were overweight or obese who tracked their meals in an app and weighed themselves daily, according to the study.

The researchers measured “routinized” eating in two main ways —how much participants’ daily calorie intake fluctuated and how often they repeated the same meals and snacks over time, according to the paper.

DOCTOR WARNS MANY AMERICANS EAT ‘FOOD-LIKE SUBSTANCES,’ NOT REAL FOOD

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Those whose diets included more repeated foods lost an average of 5.9% of their body weight compared to 4.3% for those whose eating patterns were more varied, according to a press release from the American Psychological Association.

A man shows how much weight he has lost by holding out the waist of his jeans, symbolizing his successful diet. (iStock)

People who kept their daily calorie intake more consistent also lost more weight, according to the researchers.

Liza Baker, a Vermont-based nutrition expert and founder of Simply: Health Coaching, said the findings line up with what she has seen firsthand in more than a decade of working with clients.

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“Removing the mental load of ‘What’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner?’ can make the wellness journey much more sustainable,” Baker told Fox News Digital.

A breakfast of oatmeal porridge with summer berries. (iStock)

She said repeat meals can reduce decision fatigue and make it easier for people to stick to healthier habits, especially when they are packing lunches, cooking at home and following a simple routine.

Baker said people do not necessarily have to repeat every meal to see benefits.

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“One can start by eating one meal that is repetitive, usually breakfast or lunch,” she said. “As results start to show, it’s then more conducive to increasing to two to three repetitive meals a day.”

At the same time, experts cautioned that the findings do not prove cause and effect. The study was observational, meaning it found an association between routine eating and greater weight loss but could not show that repetition alone caused the better results, according to the researchers.

Consistency — not variety — may be key when it comes to weight loss, researchers found. (iStock)

Baker also warned that repeat meal plans can backfire if they are not nutritionally balanced or if they trigger perfectionism.

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“Unless someone is well-versed in nutrition, setting up a repeat meal plan can quickly become a nutritional nightmare that leads to becoming deficient in one or more nutrients,” she said.

The study authors similarly noted that too little variety could come with trade-offs. Future research is needed to determine whether a more repetitive diet should be actively recommended as a weight-loss strategy, they said.

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Fox News Digital reached out to the study’s authors for comment.

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Prayer for Weight Loss Works: How Faith Can Help You Shed Weight Faster

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Prayer for Weight Loss Works: How Faith Can Help You Shed Weight Faster


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How Prayer for Weight Loss Can Help You Shed Pounds Faster




















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