KNOW YOUR BODY. CHECK YOURSELF. ACT EARLY.
In the United States, 72,000 15-40 year olds are diagnosed with cancer EVERY YEAR.
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Colon cancer is one of those cancers you think only older people get. Or you might think that if you have a strong family history of it, there is a chance you could get it at a younger age. I was 28 and did not have a family history of colon cancer - but I got it! I was shocked. I never knew anyone my age, much less a woman who had colon cancer.
I was lucky. I got checked and was treated. I didn't notice any major changes with my health other than the fact that I went to the bathroom a lot. I am glad I noticed that because today I am 31 and cancer free.
People in my family have died from cancer. When I was 22, I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. My doctors think I probably had Crohn's age 14 when it was noted that I had "abnormal symptoms". I was told there could be some link to colon cancer there but the fact is we just don't know for sure.
This is why I frequently tell my friends to get checked out, even if it is just a general checkup every year. I tell them if ANYTHING seems unusual (after all, I just went to the bathroom a lot) to get it checked out. Nothing is more important than your own health.
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