Stage 4 colorectal cancer changed my life, but a simple blood test can save yours | Opinion

At 34 years old, I was in the emergency room hearing the words “stage 4 colorectal cancer.” It had already spread to my liver. While I’d been feeling fatigue and battling stomach issues for a while, cancer, especially terminal cancer, never crossed my mind.

Nothing prepares you to hear that you have cancer, ever, but especially in your thirties. You assume you have decades ahead of you. But instead, I had to go into survival mode. I underwent aggressive surgery and chemotherapy. And now, thanks to modern medicine, I am fortunate to be cancer-free at 36.

Thousands of Kentuckians aren’t so lucky. My survival comes with a personal determination to make sure fewer people experience the same late-stage cancer journey. That starts with increasing education and improving access to cancer screening.

Colon cancer is no longer a disease that only impacts older adults. It is rising sharply in younger adults with one in five people diagnosed now under the age of 55. If my story proves anything, it’s that avoiding screening could lead to a late diagnosis. Early detection truly is the difference between life and death.

I founded HELP Kentucky to advocate for accessible screening, education and support for Kentuckians. We need to spread the message that colon cancer does not discriminate, and prevention and screening save lives.

For decades, colonoscopies and stool-based tests have been the primary tools to screen for colon cancer. While these are valuable tools, they are underused. Too few people are scheduling their recommended screenings. Some lack access or can’t take time off work to prep for or undergo a colonoscopy, while others don’t have transportation or feel uncomfortable with the process. These barriers leave too many people undiagnosed until the disease is already advanced.

But there is hope. We’re on the horizon of a new era in early detection that can make screening less invasive and more routine for those at average risk. While not a replacement for these traditional tests, blood tests for colon cancer screening, such as Shield — the first FDA-approved blood-based test for colorectal cancer screening — offer a less invasive option that could reach people who might otherwise go unscreened.

Blood-based tests help catch colon cancer earlier, at more treatable stages. My cancer journey could have looked very different if a simple blood draw had caught my cancer sooner.

I can’t change my own journey, but I can use my experience for good, helping to improve the cancer journey for many other Kentuckians. My goal is that others don’t have to experience the enduring physical and emotional toll of aggressive treatment, because we have the innovation to prevent late-stage, metastatic cancer.

We have to ensure Kentuckians know their options — and understand that a simple blood draw at their primary care doctor’s office can greatly improve early cancer detection.

So, I’m asking you to get screened. If you’re 45 or older — or maybe you’re younger with risk factors, symptoms or a family history — talk to your doctor.

While I wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone, it has given me purpose in helping make early detection easier, more accessible and more widely understood. Innovation in screening offers hope, removes barriers and will save lives.

It’s time to embrace it and change stories like mine.

Alex Herring is the Founder of HELP Kentucky and a stage IV colorectal cancer survivor.