‘People depend on me.’ Local young people share their Colorectal Cancer stories

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — “As a young person you don’t ever think cancer is going to be part of your story,” mentioned Shameka Taylor, a 39-year-old Kalamazoo resident who’s residing with Stage 4 Colorectal Cancer.

“At first I was angry. I was really angry,” she mentioned. “Why me? Why did this happen? And then I had to stop and I had to think and I had to say, ‘Why not me?'”

Taylor was solely 36 in August 2022 when she was recognized with Stage 3. The Colorectal Cancer Alliance says she’s not alone.

“People will say, ‘Oh, is it because of the food we eat or where we live or what we’re around?’ But we really don’t know why this alarming increase is happening,” explained Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

Colorectal Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in people who are younger than 50, according to the Alliance, and as it is most screening guidelines recommend getting a colonoscopy once you turn 45.

“Advocate for yourself,” Taylor said. “If you are feeling like one thing is flawed, advocate and just remember to’re getting the checks you want. And if one physician does not pay attention have one other physician have a look at it.”

She said she thought her symptoms were her anxiety and general fatigue from keeping up with her two sons. It wasn’t until she started getting flu-like symptoms every several weeks that she realized something was wrong.

“I never once thought, ‘This could be cancer.’ I had Googled all my symptoms. Which they tell you not to do, and colon cancer came up,” Taylor said. “But it showed that it was more relevant in people who were 70 so I didn’t think that that was me.”

But that’s exactly what the mass was—and it’s what Taylor started on her current cancer journey. To date she’s had chemotherapy, four surgeries and now she’s getting immunotherapy until September 2026.

“The cancer had spread to my pancreas and bile duct and liver area so they’ve had to remove a lot of that and they had to take part of my pancreas out,” Taylor said. “They’ve additionally needed to take away my bile duct and resection my colon. I’ve additionally had a part of my abdomen eliminated after which they reconnected the whole lot again to operate.

“I have a very aggressive form of colon cancer and so I just know that I’m okay for three months,” she mentioned. “In three months I could have another scan and my world could be completely upside down again.”

It’s a feeling Howard Robinson II of Portage knows all too well. He’s now been cancer-free for five years but he was also 36 when he was diagnosed with Stage Three in 2020.

“People depend on me,” he mentioned. “I’ve to be right here, you understand. It’s not my time but.”

Robinson says he knew something was wrong when his bowel movements started changing.

“I said, ‘I know my body and I don’t think it’s constipation,’” he said of his doctor’s visits. His stool sample and his blood sample both came back fine.

His doctor ordered a colonoscopy and that’s when they found the mass. From there Robinson would endure two surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation.

“Don’t ignore your physique telling you issues,” Robinson said. “If I had done that I wouldn’t be here.”

Howard Robinson II of Portage is a Colorectal Cancer survivor. (Howard Robinson II/WWMT)

Neither Taylor nor Robinson have a family history of Colorectal Cancer so the warning signs might not always be evident.

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance says you should watch out for these symptoms:

• Changes in your bowel habits
• Blood in your stool
• Unexpected weight loss
• Night sweats

If any of these symptoms persist for more than two weeks they say it’s time to see your doctor and to ask for a colonoscopy.

“Colorectal most cancers total has a couple of 60% survival price,” Sapienza said. “But when you get to late stage, meaning stage three, stage four, where it’s gone to other organs you only have a 13% five-year survival rate.

“Unfortunately what’s happening and these people are having these symptoms, they go into the doctor and the doctor dismisses them,” he said. “And then by the time that they’re diagnosed, they’re late stage.”

The Alliance says everyone-whether you have a family history or symptoms or not-needs to start getting colonoscopies at 45.

“My mom didn’t have her screening, and unfortunately, she got the disease and she died,” Sapienza said.

As for Taylor, she’s continuing with her immunotherapy and looking toward the future.

“There’ve been instances the place I’ve mentioned, ‘Maybe I simply should not do the remedy,’” she mentioned. “Maybe I should let things take their course and be how it’s supposed to be. But then in real life what does everyone around me do? I can’t give up just because things are hard.”

For useful sources from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance you may click on here and for extra data from the American Cancer Society you may click on here.