Shine a light on colorectal cancer
“You have cancer.” I think we can all agree that is one of the worst sentences you can hear from your doctor, especially at the age of 35.
Unfortunately, this was my reality in October 2019 when I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. My daughter had just turned three years old, and my husband and I were hoping to expand our family. Receiving a cancer diagnosis was definitely not on my radar.
A few months before receiving my diagnosis, I was experiencing a lot of bloating, constipation and I had a couple bouts of rectal bleeding. Initially I chalked it up to hemorrhoids and continued living my day-to-day life. Not too long after these symptoms presented, I also started having abdominal pain that would come and go. I was starting to get concerned as the symptoms worsened and decided it was time to make an appointment with my family physician. Given my age and other factors, my physician was not too concerned but thought it was important to send me for a colonoscopy to determine the cause of my symptoms.
This decision probably saved my life. Unfortunately, many doctors dismiss young individuals when they exhibit symptoms as they are seen as “too young to have cancer.” The reality is that colorectal cancer is on the rise for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s and this type of cancer is no longer seen as “an older person’s disease.”
As a result of younger individuals being dismissed by their doctors and not having access to routine colonoscopies, the fecal immunochemical test (FIT), and other screening tools, a majority are diagnosed at advanced stages. I was extremely fortunate that I was diagnosed at an early stage and I received exceptional treatment at Juravinski Cancer Centre.
While the physical part of fighting cancer was difficult, the mental component of this disease is just as challenging. Initially I disassociated myself from having cancer as a coping mechanism and numbed all the feelings surrounding my cancer diagnosis. Eventually, this caught up to me and I knew I couldn’t deal with it on my own. I reached out for counselling to help me process the trauma and manage my emotions in a healthy way. I also connected with Colorectal Cancer Canada, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of colorectal cancer, supporting patients and caregivers, and advocating on their behalf. Volunteering with this organization through raising awareness and doing advocacy work has helped me to turn this difficult experience into something positive.
It can be embarrassing to talk about issues related to bowel movements. I hope to normalize having these conversations and encourage others to listen to their bodies and seek medical help when showing signs of colorectal cancer.
Be your own advocate as you know your body better than anyone. If you don’t get answers, keep pushing for more tests. People often think — that wouldn’t happen to me, I am healthy, young, I work out, etc. I had zero risk factors for colon cancer and no family history, it can literally happen to anyone. Even Marvel Superhero Chadwick Boseman got colon cancer, which unfortunately took his life at the young age of 43 in August 2020.
I also want to emphasize the importance of getting critical illness coverage/short-term disability/life insurance. I hope you never have to use it, but don’t take the chance of not being able to provide for your family if tragedy strikes.
March is Colorectal Cancer awareness month, so it is a great time to shine light on this disease. This type of cancer is preventable, and colonoscopies save lives. During colonoscopies, polyps can be removed before they turn into cancer. If you are over 50, or experiencing symptoms of colorectal cancer, I encourage you to go for a colonoscopy.
Colonoscopies are crappy (literally), but colon cancer is worse.