Colon cancer in their twenties: men share stories, symptoms

Throughout the university, Evan White occasionally noticed blood in his stools. He didn’t think much about it because it happened sporadically. Two years after graduation, I noticed that I had lost my energy and visited my doctor. The diagnosis shocked him.

“How do you have it? Colon cancer 24:00? The only thing I’ve heard about it is that it’s common in older people, “recalls today, 27-year-old Dallas White. “I was thinking,’This is a dream, isn’t it? This isn’t real.”

Thanks to surgery and treatment, White has been cancer-free for a year. However, in February 2019, a scan revealed that his cancer had recurred. This time it was stage 4. White shares his story to encourage others to see a doctor if he feels something is wrong.

“Being able to talk to and talk to doctors helps catch some of these things before they progress and get worse,” he said.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the United States and the third most common cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. More adults in their 20s and 30s have been diagnosed, A recent study was found.Experts do not know what has led to an increase in cases, but for young adults Symptoms of colorectal cancer:

• Rectal bleeding
• Iron deficiency anemia
• stomach ache
• Narrow stool
• Unproductive urge to defecate
• Unexplained weight loss

White noticed that he had occasional bloody stools throughout the university, but he wasn’t too worried.

“I was basically invincible. I have never been to a doctor. For me, I didn’t think much about it in order to leave after something happened and settle naturally.” He said. “I never thought I needed to talk to someone about this.”

After graduating from college, he soon realized that exercising was difficult.

“I was always in good shape,” White said. “I was able to play pick-up basketball with my friends. Maybe if I played it once or twice, I would definitely be out of breath. I could barely even run.”

He suspected he was ill, but probably developed asthma. He then contracted what he thought was streptococcal pharyngitis, and he was in the emergency room when the doctor noticed an abnormal blood test.

“They noticed that my blood cell count was off and also let me do a stool sample,” he said. “Even if you have a lot of fatigue, you wouldn’t expect to combine the two because it’s related to the blood in your stool. Have you ever taken it out with your doctor? I don’t know. “

White underwent surgery and 6 months of chemotherapy, but there was no evidence of illness. Shortly after receiving a definitive diagnosis, he asked about 50 people to participate in bar ladder liquor and sold T-shirts to raise money for colorectal cancer. After the success of the first bark roll, he launched a second plan, hoping to exceed the $ 500 raised last year.

“I will always do what I can to fight this disease,” he said. “Two weeks after the announcement, I found that the cancer had recurred. It was one of those stories that you couldn’t even make. The timing was out of order.”

Scans revealed that White had cancer in his lungs. While ladder liquor raised $ 20,000, the cancer’s resurgence meant that White would face indefinite chemotherapy treatment to prevent the cancer from spreading further. In November 2019, he had surgery to remove some of the cancer, but three months later, doctors noticed that the cancer had grown again.

“They were definitely worried about how soon it would appear, but everything has been stable since I received chemotherapy again,” he said. “It was a positive sign.”

In early July, White was diagnosed with COVID-19 and faced another setback. He was quarantined as much as possible, but was still positive with his parents and girlfriend Katie Briggs.

“It remained calm, but it delayed some of my scans a bit,” he said.

Life after college isn’t what he wanted, but White remains positive. He recently asked Briggs, whom he met two days before the first chemotherapy, to marry him, and she said.

“Just because I have cancer doesn’t mean I can’t do big things or live my life,” he said. “If I don’t know where I am … I didn’t have anyone to help me get things done.”

It sometimes struggles, but White is now grateful for the little things in life.

“No doubt it was a roller coaster,” he said. “When it comes to cancer, it gives you a whole new perspective on life, especially when they tell you that it spreads to your lungs. I’m just focused on having fun with the people around me every day. That’s something I’ve never done before. “