CLEVELAND — Sheena Zadai is an English and broadcast television teacher. 

What You Need To Know

  • Sheena Zadai said she put off going to see a doctor after noticing blood in her stool

  • Colorectal cancer has risen sharply in patients under 50

  • Colonoscopies can identify colorectal cancer in  the precancerous stage and when it is completely curable 

She noticed blood in her stool in May 2020 but didn’t see a doctor until August of that year and said she postponed going out of fear.

“I kind of knew deep down that there was something wrong,” Zadai said. “I do wish that I would have gone earlier but, because I waited I had a lot more aggressive treatment I had to undergo.”

She had a colonoscopy that December and was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer at age 38. The cancer had spread to her liver.

She underwent four weeks of radiation.

“I thought radiation wouldn’t be a big deal. I thought it would be better than chemo, but it was way worse,” Zadai said.

There has been a sharp increase in colorectal cancer in adults under age 50, according to a report from the American Cancer Society.

“There’s an alarming rise in patients less than 50. That has increased by 51% in this less-than-50-year group since 1994. The unfortunate thing is we don’t exactly know why we’re seeing the increase,” said Dr. Scott Steele, colorectal surgeon and chair of the department of colorectal surgery at Cleveland Clinic.

Steele said more research is needed and although it’s unknown what is causing the increase, risk factors including obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, alcohol and a diet high in red and processed meats.

But Steele said there is good news.

“We can identify colorectal cancer in precancerous stage or early stages and be completely curable through something as simple as a routine colonoscopy,” he said.

Steele said many avoid speaking to their doctor out of embarrassment.

“We see patients all the time that have been married for 50 years. They don’t talk about what happens back there,” Steele said. 

Zadai was deemed to have no evidence of disease after undergoing two rounds of treatment, but she continues to get checked regularly.

She gets blood draws, scans, or a sigmoidoscopy every three months.

She said there was a silver lining in her journey.

She left a previous teaching job she’d been at for 17 years and now teaches at a new school.

“I’m really thankful. Even though that was a terrible time in my life, I’m really thankful for where I ended up,” Zadai said.