When I got the call that my 65-year-old father was in the hospital, I wasn\u2019t overly concerned. Despite spending years of my childhood plagued with gastrointestinal issues he was generally healthy. Additionally, his ability to create his own reality in all aspects of life was truly an art form. His \u201cwhat I don\u2019t know can\u2019t affect me\u201d attitude steered him just fine and consequence never seemed to touch him. I was quite certain whatever it was couldn\u2019t be too serious.<\/p>\n
Seven weeks later, he passed away from colon cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n It\u2019s impossible to know how long he\u2019d had it or how long he\u2019d been experiencing symptoms. When he called from the hospital in late May, I reluctantly offered to fly down from Vermont to Florida to help. I breathed a sigh of relief when he didn\u2019t hesitate to decline\u2013he had plenty of help there and I had responsibilities of my own. A couple weeks later, after removing a mass from his colon, he went home. Three days after that, he called the ambulance and headed back to the hospital.<\/p>\n I kept in close contact with doctors and family, awaiting a formal diagnosis and treatment plan. What came instead was confirmation that it was too late. The mass was, in fact, cancer and he wasn\u2019t strong enough for chemotherapy. Even if he was, we were looking at six months with treatment. Maybe. Within a day or two, his cognition began to fail. Hallucinations, confusion, and a loss of speech made it clear this was actually the end. By the time I arrived, I could ask no questions of him, just offer comfort. He died in hospice six days later.<\/p>\n Thus began my journey as someone with an elevated risk of colon cancer.<\/p>\n The stats don\u2019t lie (and they\u2019re alarming)<\/p>\n The recent passing of actor James Van Der Beek at just 47 from colorectal cancer underscores what experts have been warning us about for years: early-onset colorectal cancer is rising at an alarming rate. According to the American Cancer Society<\/a>, colorectal cancer incidence among adults younger than 50 has increased by about 2% annually since the mid-1990s. It\u2019s now the leading cause of cancer death<\/a> in men under 50 and the second-leading cause of cancer death in women under 50.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the thing that should make you sit up and pay attention: colorectal cancer is one of the\u00a0most preventable cancers out there. According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance<\/a>, when caught early through screening, colorectal cancer has a 90% five-year survival rate. The CDC reports<\/a> that increasing screening rates to 80% could reduce colorectal cancer deaths by 33% by 2030. Screening can detect polyps before they turn cancerous, allowing doctors to remove them during the procedure itself.<\/p>\n Sarah Beran knows this firsthand. At just 34, with a three-year-old and five-year-old at home, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. \u201cI was so busy with them, extremely tired, but I thought it was just being a busy mom,\u201d she recalls. When she started having blood in her stool, her regular doctor didn\u2019t think it was anything serious. \u201cBecause of my age and I have always been healthy, an athlete growing up, always work out, take care of myself, eat healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n It took showing her GI doctor a picture of what she was seeing to finally get the colonoscopy that revealed over 100 polyps on her colon and a mass on her rectum. She went through 12 rounds of chemo, multiple surgeries, and radiation after the cancer spread to her lung. She\u2019s been cancer-free for almost three years now and has since co-founded Worldclass clothing<\/a>, a brand dedicated to raising awareness about colonoscopy screening.<\/p>\n \u201c30% of people in their 40s already have polyps, and it\u2019s rising in young people,\u201d Beran explains. (According to Yale Medicine<\/a>, an estimated 15% to 40% of adults may have polyps.) During a colonoscopy, doctors can simply snip out those polyps. \u201cIt\u2019s just like a little exfoliation. You don\u2019t feel it.\u201d The polyps are tested to determine if they are harmless or precancerous and treatment will be recommended from there.<\/p>\n The system isn\u2019t set up to help you<\/p>\n Weeks after my dad died, I went to my GP to get a referral for a colonoscopy. At 43, I was two years away from the typical screening age. Here\u2019s where it gets infuriating: colonoscopies aren\u2019t usually considered necessary or covered by insurance until age 45. But we\u2019re seeing people being diagnosed earlier and earlier. With a cancer that is\u00a0so preventable, it seems like the system doesn\u2019t actually care about outcomes. It cares about profits.<\/p>\n Beran experienced similar pushback when she first sought help at 34. It wasn\u2019t until she showed her doctor a picture of her symptoms that they agreed to the colonoscopy that would save her life.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to advocate for yourself,\u201d Beran stresses. \u201cI used to always push things off thinking, oh, I\u2019ll be fine. This is no big deal. But now I feel like I\u2019ve become like a hypochondriac because I just\u2014anything, I need to get checked out.\u201d<\/p>\n How to actually get screened early<\/p>\n The way to get your colonoscopy earlier? Lie. No one is going to ask for confirmation that there\u2019s blood in your stool or for your family\u2019s medical records to confirm your mom, dad, sister, or brother had it. According to the National Cancer Institute<\/a>, having a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer increases your risk by two to three times. That should be enough to warrant earlier screening, but insurance companies don\u2019t always see it that way.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re experiencing any symptoms, though, don\u2019t wait. \u201cListen to your body if you\u2019re having any type of stomach issues,\u201d Beran advises. \u201cIf there\u2019s changes in your stool\u2014specifically if you\u2019re having an urgency to go a lot and also if it\u2019s a lot thinner than usual because sometimes that means that there\u2019s a mass there and it can\u2019t all get through.\u201d<\/p>\n Even exhaustion can be a warning sign. \u201cI thought that the exhaustion was because of kids, but it actually was because I had cancer growing inside of me,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Colonoscopy prep tips (it sucks, but it\u2019s worth it)<\/p>\n Let me be honest: the colonoscopy itself is NBD. The prep? That does, in fact, suck. But I have tips that will make it better. (Note that your doctor will give you their list, so definitely follow their instructions as it can vary.)<\/p>\n First, do NOT get the clear cherry Gatorade. Just the thought of it makes me want to puke. Learn from my mistake and pick literally any other flavor. (Except red or purple because those dyes mask the colon lining and interfere with results.) Beran suggests drinking out of a straw because \u201cyou can chug it faster,\u201d and she recommends gummy bears (again, not red or purple ones) since they\u2019re \u201cconsidered a liquid and that kind of helps you feel like you\u2019re eating something.\u201d<\/p>\n The day before your procedure, you\u2019ll start fasting in the morning. You\u2019re on clear liquids until evening (black coffee, tea, apple juice, popsicles, and in some cases, broth) and then the real party starts. I had to mix up a whole Pizza Hut pitcher of Miralax and Gatorade and drink half of it in 15-minute increments over the course of a few hours. At one point I had to stop because I was nauseous, then got back in the game awhile later. The rest you have to finish two hours before your procedure, which brings me to my next piece of advice.<\/p>\n Schedule your appointment for late morning, not first thing. I scheduled mine for 8:30 a.m., thinking I was brilliant by getting it over with early. Then I had to set a 4:30 a.m. alarm to choke down another half pitcher of syrupy cherry Gatorade by 6:30 a.m. Don\u2019t be like me. Give yourself the gift of a reasonable wake-up time.<\/p>\n Also, schedule it for fall or winter so you don\u2019t lose precious outside days. Do it when the weather is terrible and you can just be cozy anyway.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone freaks out about the drink, and I don\u2019t remember it being that bad,\u201d Beran says. \u201cWhen you go to the bathroom, it\u2019s not like this aggressive thing. It\u2019s just kind of a nice flush. We call it a fast cleanse and a nap.\u201d Or, as my friend who offered me text support throughout my prep comforted me, \u201cHonestly, I really liked all the pooping. I felt so light after!\u201d Honestly, can confirm.<\/p>\n I was out like a light for the 15-minute procedure and woke up feeling no pain whatsoever. Luckily, I aced my colonoscopy. No polyps, no problems. I\u2019ll be back in five years, and hopefully by then they\u2019ll have figured out an alternative to choking down a vat of Gatorade.<\/p>\n Breaking the stigma<\/p>\n After her experience, Beran co-founded Worldclass<\/a> with Brooks Bell, another colon cancer survivor who brought the research and advocacy expertise while Beran brought her fashion styling background. Together, they\u2019ve created something that feels more Vogue than doctor\u2019s office brochure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe felt like there\u2019s a lot of cancer T-shirt lines out there, but this isn\u2019t just another cancer T-shirt line,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s cool chic streetwear that you want to wear and people look at it and they\u2019re like, oh, wow, what is that?\u201d<\/p>\n Starting the conversation is precisely the point. All profits go to help underinsured communities get screened, but it\u2019s also a real bonus that it feels like a brand with a mission, not a fundraising gimmick. They\u2019re making it feel chic to get a colonoscopy and be in the club.<\/p>\n Because unlike breast cancer awareness, which is everywhere, colon cancer still carries a stigma. \u201cNo one wants to talk about butts and colonoscopies,\u201d Beran admits, \u201cbut it really should be something that is just normal to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n She suggests we start framing it as part of a wellness routine<\/a>. \u201cYou go and get your mammogram<\/a>, go get your colonoscopy, and then the next day get a facial, just have like a week of taking care of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n The bottom line (pun intended)<\/p>\n