COLUMBUS, Ohio — We’re only a couple months into the year, and doctors estimate that more than 50,000 Americans have already died from colon cancer so far in 2025.
It’s one of the reasons that just a few years ago the United States Preventive Services Task Force began recommending that adults as young as 45 get screened for the disease.
“I was only 36 when I found out I had colon cancer. And so the average age that you get colon cancers is 45, and I have three small children and a husband, and I just don’t know where I would have been at at age 45, if I would be here or not,” said Jenna Everett, a cancer survivor.
In January of 2022, Everett was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.
“I kind of was just like, 'OK we know what it is, can this be curable, what’s the next step?' And then just where do we start from here?” Everett said.
Everett said some of her initial symptoms were abdominal bloating and some indigestion, eventually noticing blood in her stool.
“I do feel like there was a lot of symptoms that I just knew something wasn’t right, I knew something was wrong, and I kind of just wanted some answers,” Everett said.
According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer rates among seniors are on the decline, but they’re rising every year in people younger than 50.
That’s why Dr. Rohan Modi with Gastro Office said it’s important to get screened.
“Since the 1990s, the rate of colon cancer in people under the age of 50 has almost doubled," Modi said. "It’s gone up by 1.3 to 2.7% every year."
Everett has been in remission for two-and-a-half years and said she’s feeling better now, but she’s not anywhere near where she used to be.
“I’m adjusting to my new normal," she said. "I’ve had radiation, chemo and then 2 abdominal surgeries."
Three years later, she’s using her experience to advocate for others.
“This is an important screening, that we can catch things early on just to really get into the front of the thing instead of trying to figure out how do we combat this cancer on the back end, because I wouldn’t wish this upon anyone,” Everett said.
And she wants people to know that getting a colonoscopy is better than finding out you have cancer when it’s too late.
“It’s a big task to take on whenever you find out you have cancer. There’s a long road ahead," she said. "You’re not yourself afterward. It’s very different, but it’s changed me and been a blessing because I’m able to advocate and use my testimony to share that and the importance of cancer screenings."
