Stage four colon cancer patient wanted everyone to know one thing about disease
Jamie Comer underwent 180 rounds of chemotherapy before being told there was nothing more to do
A woman who was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer despite having no symptoms explained that there was one thing she wanted everyone to know about the disease.
Jamie Comer told ABC7 that the disease wasn't discovered until a routine blood test found elevated liver enzymes, and medics told the 47-year-old she likely had just months to live.
Diagnosed in 2016, she said in 2023: "I was told that I had stage four colon cancer, which had metastasised to my liver, and I had 45 tumours on my left side and 12 tumours on my right side and that I would likely die in three to six months."
She received treatment for several years as she went in for seven surgeries and 180 rounds of chemotherapy, but a year later, she updated ABC7 with the sad news that she was receiving hospice care as there were 'no treatment options that were working'.
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Comer said if she could give everyone advice on dealing with colon cancer, it would be to 'screen early' as in her case it might have meant her cancer 'would not have been a death sentence'.
The woman explained that back when she was diagnosed with colon cancer at 47 the recommended age for a colonoscopy was 50, and it has since been reduced to 45.
"I would have been inconvenienced for maybe 18 months but it would not have been a death sentence," Comer said as she urged people to get screened for the disease early on.
Sadly, Comer died in April, with an obituary saying she 'passed away peacefully after an extraordinary eight-year battle with stage four colon cancer'.
While general guidance is for regular screening to start at the age of 50, people with a family history of cancer are encouraged to get screened starting from the age of 40.
Warning: contains upsetting content
While cancer more often affects those who are older, there are a growing number of cases where people below 50 are being diagnosed.
Comer's cancer was not showing symptoms as it spread throughout her body, but there are other cases where people ignored symptoms which could have served as an early warning sign.
A woman who died aged 39 from bowel cancer had previously brushed off stabbing pains as she thought it might be a food intolerance, and suspected that what she was feeling was the cancer spreading throughout her body.
Another woman who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 24 also dismissed a symptom as she thought there was 'nothing to worry about' and ignored blood in her stool for months.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Topics: Cancer, Bowel cancer, Health
Joe Harker