Warning: This article contains discussion of cancer which some readers may find distressing.
A 42-year-old woman initially dismissed her cancer symptoms due to another major health concern.
Laura Behnke, now 46, was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer.
The diagnosis was delayed as her symptoms began to appear during a significant medical event.
This event not only distracted her but also provided a plausible reason for the symptoms she was experiencing.
In July 2022, after a scan and biopsy, her cancer was confirmed when a colorectal surgeon noted abnormalities while addressing what were believed to be haemorrhoids.
“It had broken through the rectal wall and was in some nearby lymph nodes,” she said. “But thankfully, it was not metastatic and had not advanced to other organs.”
The symptoms surfaced while Laura was pregnant.
Residing in San Francisco, she noticed bleeding during bathroom visits, attributing it to a common pregnancy condition – haemorrhoids.
She explained to Today: “At this point, I was reading everything about being pregnant, and it’s right around the second trimester they warn you that haemorrhoids start to come up.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, haemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels in the rectum or on the anus.
These can lead to bleeding during bathroom visits and are quite common during pregnancy.
Laura comforted herself by believing this was her situation.
“I told myself, ‘It’s just haemorrhoids. Relax,'” she said.
During a conversation with her obstetrician, Laura mentioned the bleeding: “I didn’t make it a big deal, she didn’t ask questions … I kind of self-diagnosed.”
Her doctor concurred, but the condition worsened during her pregnancy’s third trimester.
Laura observed an external haemorrhoid that was painful and itchy, differing from previous experiences.
Still, she believed it was linked to her pregnancy, saying: “Still in my head, I wasn’t connecting the dots that I had never felt that way before when I was bleeding.”
After giving birth to a healthy girl in December 2021, the bleeding stopped, which seemed to confirm her assumption.
“I was like, ‘OK, that was it. Now this external haemorrhoid is going to fix itself’,” she said. “Wishful thinking.”
However, the bleeding resumed, and her OBGYN recommended the removal of the external haemorrhoid.
Laura delayed the appointment for six months, and when she finally attended, the surgeon quickly identified that it was something more serious.
“It turns out that haemorrhoid bleeding tends to be more like droplets of blood,” said Laura. “I was not having that, I was having bloody mucus.”
Fortunately, an operation was successful, and Laura began a successful cancer treatment plan, leading to remission.
She continues to undergo regular checkups and was completely clear at her last scan in August 2025.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.