A 24-year-old woman, Meagan Meadows, received a life-altering cancer diagnosis after initially believing she was too young to be affected by the disease.
Meagan, from South California, had recently completed a master’s degree in education and was looking forward to the future when she began experiencing symptoms that she disregarded due to her young age.
It all started when she noticed slight traces of blood in her stool during bathroom visits. The blood was so minimal that it seemed insignificant to her, but her friends urged her to seek medical advice, just to be safe.
Fortunately, she heeded their advice, which led to the early detection of a serious condition.
Initially, Meagan suspected the issue might be haemorrhoids, dietary problems, or stress-related.
She shared with Business Insider, “I just thought, I’m only 24, there’s no way I have anything going on. I felt so embarrassed because clearly I was fine. I almost canceled my appointment.”
However, she discovered she had stage three colon cancer.
“When I woke up, they asked my mom to come in and get me so we could all be in the room with the doctor,” she recalled. “It was difficult to process.”
Meagan expressed that she would have taken her symptoms more seriously if she was aware of how many young people are diagnosed with colon cancer.
The blood was barely noticeable and occurred infrequently. “It wasn’t in concerning amounts; it wasn’t there every time,” she explained. “I almost never noticed it there.”
“I easily wrote it off as something else,” she added.
She had assumed that visible blood in the stool would be much more apparent, saying, “I had an image in my head that blood in the stool would mean the bowl was just red.”
Following her diagnosis, Meagan underwent surgery to remove a 25cm section of her colon as part of her treatment.
Now, she encourages others to monitor their stool for any irregularities and seek medical attention if needed.
“Obviously no one wants to talk about their poop but it’s always better to get checked,” she advised.
Her friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to help her with medical expenses and support during this challenging time.
A portion of the funds will go towards freezing her eggs, as chemotherapy could impact her fertility, allowing her the possibility of having children in the future.
If you wish to contribute to Meagan’s GoFundMe, you can do so here.