CLEVELAND — Feb. 4 is World Cancer Day, and health institutions across the globe are highlighting the importance of screening and acknowledging symptoms.

For many people, a small symptom may not be enough to make a doctor's appointment.

“I had symptoms for about a year, year and a half, and I kind of just ignored them," said Dan Gut, whose symptoms were irregular bowel movements. "I just thought, OK, these are gonna go away."

What You Need To Know

  • Dan Gut said he had symptoms for a long time, but didn't realize they were part of a potential issue

  • Gut got a colonoscopy and he had more than 100 polyps in his colon

  • The were precancerous, and surgeons removed his colon

He said he didn't consult a doctor until he was already at his primary care doctor.

“I don’t think I understood the severity of it when I initially heard it, so I wasn’t freaking out," he said.

Gut got a colonoscopy and he had more than 100 polyps in his colon. Many were harmless but doctors determined some were precancerous.

“I wouldn’t have got there if I wouldn’t have listened to [my doctor] and done the testing or even gone in just to do a normal check up," he said.

He then underwent surgery to remove his colon, which drastically reduced his risk of developing cancer.

“I hear so many other people who go in and it’s too late," Gut said. "Or it’s too late and only some things can be reversed or fixed and I just feel so blessed and fortunate that. That’s not my story. My story is yeah, there was a lot going on, but we caught it in time and there’s sort of very minimal effects and likely very minimal ongoing things that I have to worry about.”

Gut is stressing the importance of paying attention to your symptoms, even if it doesnt seem like much.

“It wasn’t like somebody else told me a story and I was like 'OK I gotta go do that just to make sure I’m OK.'”

He’s hoping his story is a cautionary tale because he said early detection can save your life.

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