{"id":787060,"date":"2026-07-27T09:38:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T09:38:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/787060\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T09:38:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T09:38:39","slug":"colon-cancer-survivor-urges-people-not-to-dismiss-chronic-symptoms-i-normalized-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/787060\/","title":{"rendered":"Colon cancer survivor urges people not to dismiss chronic symptoms: ‘I normalized it’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maria Kang built her career around fitness, healthy eating and helping other moms\u00a0prioritize wellness. But despite believing she had done \u201ceverything right,\u201d the California mother of three was blindsided by colon cancer.<\/a><\/p>\n

Kang, now 46, said the diagnosis completely reshaped her understanding of what it means to be healthy.<\/p>\n

She became an internet sensation in 2013 after a photo of her sculpted physique alongside her three young sons sparked a global conversation about fitness and\u00a0motherhood.<\/p>\n

The viral image \u2014 captioned \u201cWhat\u2019s your excuse?\u201d \u2014 led to her being dubbed the \u201cNo Excuse Mom\u201d and inspired the launch of hundreds of wellness communities around the world.<\/p>\n

More than a decade later, Kang\u2019s world was turned upside down when she learned that she had\u00a0stage 4 colon cancer\u00a0<\/a>in November 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely a complete shock \u2014 because I was the healthiest person I knew,\u201d she shared with Fox News Digital. \u201cI wanted to blame the food, but I didn\u2019t eat bad food. I filtered my water. There was no excuse why I had this cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking back, Kang said she had experienced persistent digestive problems since adolescence, including chronic constipation and bloating that worsened\u00a0with stress.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"MariaMaria Kang speaks on Fox News Digital about her stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis. Fox News<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t matter how many fiber pills or laxatives, it just took a long time to go,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that\u2019s been an ongoing journey throughout my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, Kang said, she convinced herself that her\u00a0digestive problems<\/a>\u00a0were just something she had to live with.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing that I realized is that we normalize problems, and we think it\u2019s OK, but it\u2019s not OK,\u201d she said. \u201cDigestion should be like breathing. It should be like inhaling and exhaling. It should be simple. But it wasn\u2019t simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

After a tumor was detected through a biopsy after colonoscopy, Kang said she initially pursued holistic approaches for 12 weeks, but the tumor did not shrink and may have grown slightly. She then began FOLFOX \u2014 a combination of\u00a0chemotherapy drugs\u00a0used to treat some gastrointestinal cancers \u2014 in 2024.<\/p>\n

After one treatment, Kang went to the emergency room when her colostomy stoma retracted, and a scan reportedly showed that the tumor had shrunk substantially. She then asked to stop chemotherapy and proceed with surgery.<\/p>\n

Kang later underwent\u00a0extensive surgery\u00a0to remove the tumor and about a foot of her colon, along with multiple reproductive organs and her appendix. She temporarily required a colostomy and<\/a> later an ileostomy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was definitely a complete shock \u2014 because I was the healthiest person I knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, Kang says her MRIs have shown \u201cno suspicious mass detected.\u201d She gets regular blood screenings and scans every six months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMuch of what remains appears related to postoperative healing and inflammation,\u201d she shared. \u201cBecause of my history, my doctors continue surveillance, but I have not been formally declared NED (no evidence of disease).\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AsianKang had chronic digestive problems since adolescence, realizing health is more than just looking good. 9nong \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Alarming trends<\/p>\n

An estimated 158,850 Americans will be diagnosed with\u00a0colorectal cancer\u00a0<\/a>in 2026, and around 55,230 people will die from the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society.<\/p>\n

Although colorectal cancer incidence has declined overall \u2014 largely among older adults, a trend linked in part to increased screening and changes in certain risk factors \u2014 rates are rising in younger age groups.<\/p>\n

Among adults younger than 50, colorectal cancer incidence increased by 2.9% per year from 2013 to 2022.<\/p>\n

The American Cancer Society and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommend that people at average risk begin regular\u00a0colorectal cancer screening<\/a>\u00a0at age 45, although those with certain risk factors may need to start earlier.<\/p>\n

Anyone experiencing persistent or concerning symptoms should consult a doctor, regardless of age.<\/p>\n

\u2018I look healthy\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a really big, humbling look in the mirror when you say to yourself, \u2018I look healthy, but I\u2019m not healthy,\u2019\u201d Kang told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen someone is at a normal range in their weight, they could have cancer. They could have autoimmune issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on inside of a person. We always just want to look the part versus be the part.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wellness redefined<\/p>\n

Kang said her cancer journey has changed her\u00a0perception of health\u00a0and what\u2019s important in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cCancer makes everything extremely clear \u2014 what\u2019s important, what is not important, what you should eat, what you shouldn\u2019t eat,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you really listen to yourself, it becomes crystal clear when you have no energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kang said her fitness and nutrition regimens also look drastically different from her pre-cancer routines.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to train five or six days a week, but now I only move when I want to,\u201d she said. \u201cWalking is my best friend. I love to dance. I still love to\u00a0strength-train\u00a0because it\u2019s fun for me and it makes me strong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps the biggest shift is that Kang no longer does anything that feels forced: \u201cIf there\u2019s anything that I feel forced to do, I don\u2019t do it \u2026 If I feel awful, my body\u2019s going to express awful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her approach to food has also shifted, she shared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the past, there were\u00a0bad foods and good foods, and cheat days \u2026 what I understand now is balance,\u201d Kang said.<\/p>\n

While she does naturally veer toward fruits and vegetables \u2014 \u201cthings that have water and life and light in them\u201d \u2014 Kang said she is still open to eating any other foods, including pizza.<\/p>\n

Overall, Kang wants people to know that maintaining healthy habits does not eliminate the possibility of\u00a0developing cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could happen to anybody \u2014 that was the most humbling realization,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may think you\u2019re\u00a0young and healthy\u00a0and this won\u2019t happen to you, but this world is so unpredictable right now. Anything can happen to anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth is not what you think it is,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just how you look. It\u2019s how you feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The American Cancer Society recommends seeing a healthcare provider about persistent changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, unexplained\u00a0weight loss\u00a0or other concerning gastrointestinal symptoms.<\/p>\n

While such symptoms can have many causes other than cancer, they should be evaluated regardless of a person\u2019s age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Maria Kang built her career around fitness, healthy eating and helping other moms\u00a0prioritize wellness. But despite believing she…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":787061,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[687,46616,97,1244],"class_list":["post-787060","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-cancer","tag-chronic-illness","tag-health","tag-health-and-wellness-products"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787060","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787060"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787060\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787061"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787060"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787060"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787060"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}