“”“My friend died of colon cancer this week. She was 39 years old. Two years ago, she asked a doctor for a colonoscopy after she married her incredible wife. My father died of colon cancer at a young age, putting my friend at higher risk, and it was in her heart. She wanted to be shown. She was told no.“
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Threads about women who recently died of colorectal cancer at the age of 39 often spotlight awareness of the appropriate age to begin screening for fatal illnesses. Questions have also been raised about how seriously the health care system takes women’s health concerns.
The Washington Post reporter Kate Ringibson shared a story about her friend, a woman, on a social media platform on Monday. Since then, the thread has received thousands of retweets.
According to Gibson, her friend believed that her father was at high risk for colorectal cancer because she died of colorectal cancer. Gibson said she “insurance didn’t pay for it” when her unnamed friend tried to have a colonoscopy two years ago. ..
In addition, Gibson told her that when her friend began to experience abdominal pain, the doctor was likely to be associated with the gallbladder. By the time her friend was finally diagnosed with colorectal cancer, her illness had already progressed to stage 4.
“She wasn’t surprised. She was furious,” Gibson wrote. “And for everyone who loves her, her anger adds a whole new dimension to grief, given access to early screening that she knew was necessary for hereditary risk. , This could have been prevented. “
Gibson did not immediately respond to MarketWatch’s request for comment.
“” “This could have been prevented if she had been given access to early screening that she knew was necessary for hereditary risk.”“
Colorectal cancer remains the leading cause of death in the United States The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2021, 149,500 new cases will be diagnosed and 52,980 will die. As a result, the disease is the second most deadly form of cancer in the United States.
Also, according to the American Cancer Society, the incidence of colorectal cancer is increasing in people under the age of 50.This issue has come to be specifically discussed by beloved “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman. Died of illness at the age of 43..
Last year, a prominent medical committee advised on screening for colorectal cancer. Must start at age 45 Instead of the previously recommended value of 50.
In addition to the problem of colorectal cancer affecting young people, Gibson’s thread also pointed out the challenges many face when dealing with the medical system.
“This system is very broken,” Gibson writes. “Especially for women who don’t take intuition and pain seriously, especially for those who don’t have the right kind of access, money or privileges.”
Such issues have been raised by many others. for example, Investigation The journal “Academic Emergency Medicine” found that women seeking help with severe abdominal pain had to wait in the emergency room much longer than men in the same condition.
And those who responded to the Gibson thread shared the story of being misdiagnosed or ignored by doctors, but with serious consequences, including eventually finding out that they had skin, breast, or colon cancer. Faced with.
The Gibson thread contained a link to the poem “Antidote to Death Anxiety” by Rebecca Elson. As the title suggests, this poem provides a vision of hope, comfort and courage in the face of death.
“It’s a really great poem,” Gibson wrote.
