Jenna Scott was seven months pregnant when, unknowingly, she started showing symptoms of colon cancer in 2016.
Rectal bleeding and stomach pain made her believe she was having a miscarriage, Scott told USA Today. The doctors told the future 31-year-old mother that the pains were nothing to worry about and only part of the pregnancy.
But when they persisted after she gave birth, Scott, now 34, was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer.
“He told me I had cancer,” said Scott. “We had built such a good relationship up until that moment, I laughed and laughed … and said, ‘Really?’ I thought he was playing and so he just had a straight face. “
Pregnancy masked the symptoms of cancer, delaying treatment
Symptoms of colorectal cancer, or colon and rectal cancer, include abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation and fatigue: all of the symptoms that can be associated with pregnancy.
Scott never suspected that someone his age could have any form of aggressive cancer, especially as someone who ate healthy food and exercised regularly.
Although the early stages of colon cancer are very treatable and have a 90% survival rate, the advanced and more lethal stages of colorectal cancer are increasingly affecting young people. The growing number of colon cancer cases affecting young people disproportionately affect black communities in the United States.
Chadwick Boseman’s death sparked a broader discussion about racial disparities in colorectal cancer deaths
“Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman passed away last year at the age of 43, after a four-year battle with colorectal cancer. His death sparked a wide-ranging discussion about colorectal cancer, especially in black communities.
Research over the past 30 years suggests that rates of colon and rectal cancer are increasing for people under 40. A study published by the American Cancer Society found that 51.6% of people diagnosed with colon cancer under 50 had advanced stages of the disease, compared to only 40% of people diagnosed over 50.
This increase in serious colon cancer cases among young people is appalling in black communities, as studies show that blacks are more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer and die from the disease.
Scott told USA Today that she is spending her time advocating for colorectal cancer awareness in black communities while fighting the disease.
“I’m really focused on publicizing my community, the black community, because we don’t really talk about it,” she said. “We are not really going to doctors as we should and access to health care is not so easy.”
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