Karen White said the best gift her family could give her for Mother's Day would be a nice nap and some time to read a book. She travels a lot on her job.

Three years ago, she was just happy to be alive on Mother's Day.

Back then, White's life was nearly perfect. She said she loved her career as a utility attorney for the Air Force. Her husband was Mr. Mom, so she knew their three daughters were being well cared for.

But, when her youngest daughter was 1 year old, White began to experience some intestinal problems and noticed some rectal bleeding.

"I had read an article about irritable bowel syndrome, and I was convinced that's what it was," said White, who was stationed in Oklahoma at the time. "As part of the testing, my doctor decided to do a colonoscopy to see what was going on. She was almost apologetic. I was 40 at the time, too young to need one. I had no family history (of colon cancer) that I knew of."

At the end of May 2005, White was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Her doctor removed a polyp, a tumor the size of a quarter, 10 inches of her colon and 10 lymph nodes. Luckily, the cancer was caught early and had not spread.

"The doctor said I wouldn't have lived until 50, when you're supposed to start getting colonoscopies. If I had waited even a year, my Stage 0 cancer could have been Stage 3 or 4," White said. Stage 4 is the most serious form of cancer. "I'm the poster child for getting early treatment."

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates about 108,000 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed this year. The good news is the death rate has been dropping the last two decades thanks to early screening and improved treatment. There now are more than 1 million survivors of colorectal cancer in this country.

White said she is thrilled to be one of them.

"The day I found out I had it, May 31, 2005, it was my oldest daughter's birthday," White said. "She was 11 then, and she was really upset because we were not going on vacation.

"My middle daughter said, 'Are you going to die?' I said, 'One day, but not anytime soon," White said. "My husband and I had a discussion about what would happen if something bad happened. He brought it up."

When White visited a good friend, the friend asked if she was scared.

"I told her I really was not," White said. "I was at peace with what was going to happen next. I had the belief that God was going to take care of me, so I didn't think about the 'what ifs.'"

For six weeks after the surgery, she could not do any lifting, not even her baby. But she bounced back.

"I tell everybody I can: Go get a colonoscopy," she said. "If your body is telling you that something's not right, listen to it and go to the doctor. Colorectal cancer has one of the highest cure rates if you get it early."

White has been a survivor for almost three years now. She goes back for an annual colonoscopy and sees her oncologist twice a year for blood work. She belongs to a cancer survivor support group, where she counsels newly diagnosed women, and she participates in the annual Relay for Life to benefit the American Cancer Society.

"Some people think of cancer as being a death sentence, but it doesn't have to be," White said. "I feel passionate about telling people that. Every day is a gift."

May is a big month for the Whites. All three children have birthdays, it's the month her cancer was diagnosed and today is Mother's Day. White said she plans to enjoy it.

"Our church is breaking ground for a new church, and when we get home, I'm sure my husband will cook me something great," White said. "He's the chef of the family." To see more of The News Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsherald.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The News Herald, Panama City, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.