I was diagnosed with anal cancer – but ‘laughing’ helped me come to terms with it
‘My college fun came back to bite me in the ass’: Woman diagnosed with anal cancer linked to sexually transmitted HPV reveals how ‘laughing’ at her diagnosis helped her
- Julia DeVillers, of New Albany, Ohio, suffered from anal bleeding
- Doctors initially diagnosed it as a hemorrhoid, but later found out it was a tumor
- The author underwent treatment and proudly approached each day with humor
A woman diagnosed with anal cancer linked to sexually transmitted HPV has revealed how “laughing” at her diagnosis helped her cope.
Julia DeVillers, of New Albany, Ohio, suffered from anal bleeding and discomfort that a doctor ruled “harmless” and diagnosed as hemorrhoid.
She underwent an outpatient procedure to remove it the following week, but when she woke up she was told it was actually a cancerous tumor.
Julia, author of children’s books, has since undergone treatment and – despite five weeks in intensive care – coped with humor every day.
Julia DeVillers, of New Albany, Ohio, suffered from anal bleeding and discomfort that a doctor ruled “harmless” and diagnosed as hemorrhoid.
Julia, author of children’s books, has since undergone treatment and – despite five weeks in intensive care – coped with humor every day
In May 2022, Julia was diagnosed with anal cancer related to sexually transmitted HPV with risk factors such as “multiple sexual partners.”
In an essay for News Week, she wrote, “Who would have thought my college fun would come back to bite me in the ass? Literal…
“I didn’t want to tell people I had anal cancer. Cancer alone was a traumatic conversation. Add anal – such a loaded word.’
But Julia soon noticed that the diagnosis and intensive treatment with humor was easier to process.
She said her colleagues, who are writers and entertainers, quickly embraced the idea, too — before handing her a homemade “Anal Cancer of the Month Club” membership card.
They gave her light-hearted gifts, including a butt-shaped mug, a pillow from a Uranus science museum, and socks with the words “I’m a badass” — just to name a few.
Meanwhile, Julia underwent chemotherapy on the pill five days a week with two intravenous doses alternated, as well as daily radiation for six weeks.
She struggled with the side effects such as “crushing fatigue” and “relentless stomach problems.”
Julia underwent chemotherapy on the pill five days a week with two intravenous doses alternated, as well as daily radiation for six weeks
Julia said things took a turn for the worse after her second round of IV chemotherapy.
She said, “Everything that was put into me poured out in radioactive neon green. I lost 30 pounds in a week.”
And then she spent 37 days in the intensive care unit of the cancer hospital.
The writer revealed, “I don’t remember much: the incessant beeping of the machine giving me fentanyl, oxy and nutrients, my husband and mother taking turns sleeping in the chair next to me, the doctors’ voices getting more and more gloomy.”
“I was aware that my body was shutting down. For days I couldn’t open my eyes, but I saw a tunnel of darkness with two pinpricks of bright light. I don’t know if that’s the tunnel people talk about, but I felt the darkness cutting me so deep, like the deepest depression.
“My children were called to come back to the city. Hospice was called. The doctors told my family that they would know in 48 hours which way it would go. I had no idea what was happening around me.’
Julia eventually worked it out and was sent home to continue treatment.
But six months later, doctors revealed her scans looked good and she had “achieved NED” — no evidence of illness.
Julia is now helping to raise awareness for anal cancer with the HPV Cancers Alliance in an effort to break the stigma.
She concluded, “I didn’t want to be a ‘face of donkey cancer’, but here we are.”