A 31-year-old from Washington state revealed that she was diagnosed with end-stage colon cancer after ignoring symptoms for three years out of fear.
The woman, who goes by the Reddit username tea4vendetta, posted on the site on Wednesday that she would not seek treatment for her condition and would die within a year.
The message read: ‘I’m going to die in a year. I have been pooping blood for 3 years and I have colon cancer. I was too scared to have a colonoscopy and now I have end stage colon cancer. That’s my business, guys.’
She continued, “I messed up, but now I have to make decisions. I’m not going to seek treatment. Every treatment only prolongs my life instead of saving it.
‘I cannot burden my family with my death and I want the last year of my life to be positive. I don’t want to spend my last days in a hospice.’
Although the overall number of cancer cases has steadily declined in recent decades, doctors have been dismayed by the increase in colon cancer rates in younger adults, who are traditionally at low risk for the disease.
Experts aren’t sure what’s behind this increase and are investigating whether modern diets, antibiotics or even fungal infections could play a role. In addition, delayed detection and treatment may contribute to young deaths, as young people are often not suspected of having the disease.
Data from JAMA Surgery shows that colon cancer is expected to increase by 90 percent in people ages 20 to 34 by 2030. Doctors aren’t sure what’s driving the mysterious increase
The user said she would not tell her family about her diagnosis because she “doesn’t want to prolong their suffering.”
“I am compassionate for their sake. They can’t help me, so why make them suffer?’
In end-stage, or stage four, colon cancer, the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, treatment has failed, and the cancer is no longer considered treatable. The five-year survival rate is about 14 percent.
In the 1990s, only 11 percent of colorectal cancer cases were among people under age 55. But the number of cases has now more than doubled, with people in that age group now accounting for a fifth of all new diagnoses, according to the latest 2021 data.
Data from a study in the journal JAMA Surgery shows that colon cancer is expected to increase by 90 percent in people ages 20 to 34 by 2030.
The Reddit user “spiralled” after learning her diagnosis, writing, “We all have to die so I guess I embrace death now?
‘I think I’ll jump off a cliff when it gets too bad. I refuse to die in a bed, I want to die watching a sunrise or sunset, or at least on my own terms.
‘I’m only 31 and sad that I couldn’t do more with my life. I just found out I’m infertile. I never followed my dreams either, I just failed at this life. I hope there will be another life after this where I can redeem myself.”
Jordan Knight (center), from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer at age 27
Mr Knight in hospital where he is being treated for his bowel cancer. He died of his cancer in November 2022
Shortly after the 31-year-old’s post was published, other Reddit users responded to it, telling her she was spiraling and having racist, suicidal thoughts.
Some commenters were cancer patients themselves and offered guidance.
A user named Desperate-Face-6594 wrote: ‘You’re spinning around a bit, your thoughts seem to be racing. I don’t know your local setup, but many places offer counseling to cancer patients.
‘Anyone who has brought suicidal thoughts to the level of planning the method should definitely talk to a professional.’
The user also advised the woman to tell her family so that her death would not be sudden: ‘As for your family, loved ones can cope better with cancer deaths than with sudden deaths, because they grieve a lot before you die, they have the time to say what they want to say and to look around it a bit.’
Another user wrote: ‘I’ve been where you are. Completely understand why you are saying these things, you are not wrong, cancer sucks.
‘Please reconsider the treatment, it could add many years to your life and that would give you time to do some of the things you think you have missed.’
The post attracted nearly three dozen comments, and the original poster later edited it to add, “I’m going to get treatment and I’m not about to give up yet.
‘Thank you for your understanding and support. I really appreciate it and am so grateful for your compassion and words of wisdom. I really needed it and am so grateful.
“Yesterday was tough, but today is better and that’s because you all got me out of my head and gave me some good advice.”
Daniel Lucas, from San Francisco, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer and died in 2022 at the age of 35
Marisa Maddox, pictured above with her husband Robert and son Luke, was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 29
The 31-year-old Washingtonian is one of thousands of young people diagnosed with colon cancer every year.
Daniel Lucas, then 27, started having blood in his stool in 2017 but was misdiagnosed for two years with doctors thinking he had colitis, Crohn’s disease and appendicitis.
The tumor wasn’t noticed until it reached stage three, meaning it had spread beyond the colon and was too far to be treated. Mr. Lucas died in 2022 at the age of 35.
Jordan Knight, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer at just 29 years old. He tried multiple treatment options, participated in clinical trials and underwent multiple surgeries.
However, they failed to cure his cancer and Mr Knight died in 2021 at the age of 31.
For young people who do survive, the disease can take its toll in other ways. Marisa Maddox was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer at the age of 29.
She had given birth to her son just before her diagnosis and wanted to have more children. However, she was told that the severe effects of the radiotherapy used to save her life caused so much damage to her ovaries that she could no longer have children.
Colorectal cancer normally starts as a small growth, called a polyp, on the inner lining of the colon or rectum, a part of the large intestine.
Over time, the cells in these polyps can divide uncontrollably, causing the cancer.
It often does not cause any significant symptoms in the early stages. That’s why doctors say everyone 45 and older should be screened for the cancer via a colonoscopy once every ten years.
It is also possible to be screened at a young age, after consultation with doctors.
Early warning signs of the disease may include a change in bowel habits, blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss and sudden fatigue or weakness – caused by blood loss.
If caught at an early stage, before it spreads to other areas, the charity Fight Colorectal Cancer says nine in 10 patients will live longer than five years after their diagnosis.
But if the cancer is not discovered until stage three, the five-year survival rate drops to 71 percent.
In stage four, only 14 percent of patients live another five years.
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 106,600 new cases of colon cancer and 46,200 new cases of rectal cancer in 2024.
From 2011 to 2019, incidence rates fell by about 1 percent each year. But this trend is mainly occurring among older adults.
For people under 55, rates have risen 1 to 2 percent per year since the mid-1990s.
The ACS estimates that there will be 53,000 deaths from cancer by 2024 – making it the second most common cause of cancer deaths.