Young adults not immune to colon cancer, shouldn’t ignore signs based on age: experts
TORONTO — Ryan Halladay was 39 when he began noticing blood in his stool. Doctors he visited over the next few months weren’t too concerned, dismissing the bleeding as likely being caused by hemorrhoids. A trip to the ER for pain caused by severe constipation was also brushed off. He was given a laxative and sent home.
Had he been a decade or more older, his symptoms likely would have sent up a red flag. But because he was a young adult, a much more serious possibility wasn’t recognized.
It turned out the married father of two young girls had colorectal cancer — a disease most commonly seen in people over age 50, but one that is increasingly occurring in adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
“I was 39 years old — nothing is going to happen to you. You’re healthy, you’re invincible,” said Halladay, who was shocked to learn he had colon cancer.