Erik & Nickie O.

Diagnosed at ages 32 & 36

My husband, Erik, and I have been married since 2013, and we’re the parents of two great boys – Liam and Paxton. We recently added to our family by becoming foster parents, and we’re proud to call Gretna home. 

In 2018, our family got hit by some sort of cold virus. Everyone was sick, and after a few days, it ran its course, but my husband, Erik wasn't getting any better. He had complained about having some bathroom issues before this, but things worsened afterward. The frequency and urgency increased to multiple times a day. When he noticed blood in the toilet, we knew something was wrong. He spoke to his doctor, who recommend a colonoscopy. At 32 years old, that was the last thing he wanted to do, but his symptoms scared him enough to follow through with his doctor's recommendation.

The day of his colonoscopy came, the procedure was quick, and I sat in the recovery area waiting for him to come back afterwards. The doctor pulled the curtain back and walked in carrying a chair. I knew in my gut that was not a good sign. He sat down and began, “I’ve been in this field for a long time, and I’m pretty sure what we found is cancer…”

I heard the words but struggled to comprehend why he was using the word “cancer” for my 32-year-old husband. My mind just wouldn’t compute what he was trying to tell me. Erik was coming out of the anesthesia while the doctor tried to explain the next steps.  

Erik had surgery to remove the tumor they found during the colonoscopy, which required a 5-day hospital stay. When the pathology came back, it wasn’t what we were hoping. Erik’s cancer was Stage 3b, which means his cancer had spread to some of his lymph nodes. Chemo was the next step. Towards the end of Erik’s hospital stay, his doctor came in to visit. I had noticed a few symptoms that I was having, but I chalked it up to all the stress with Erik’s diagnosis. I half-jokingly asked Erik’s doctor, “What are the odds that I’m having sympathy pains for Erik and everything he’s going through?” He didn’t laugh like I had expected. He looked at me with a stern expression on his face and told me I needed to be checked out as soon as possible. He offered to get me an appointment with his colleague the following week. 

After several appointments, my first colonoscopy was scheduled. I was nervous, but ready to have some answers. I never expected the answer I got. After the colonoscopy, they wheeled me into the recovery room. When I came to, my mom was standing to the right of the bed crying. I turned and looked to my left and my doctor was sitting down in the chair next to my bed. I was still groggy, but clearly heard her say, “I’m so sorry…”

Deep down I already knew what she was going to say, and it was such a punch to my gut. Cancer.

Three months after Erik’s diagnosis, I was also diagnosed with Colorectal Cancer, stage 3a, at the age of 36. The cancer had also spread to my lymph nodes. It’s one of those horrific moments in life that knocks your legs completely out from underneath you. It was terrifying knowing we would both be fighting this beast at the same time, all while trying to raise our young family and support one another as we fought the biggest battle of our lives.  

There is no history of Colorectal Cancer on Erik’s side of the family. However, my grandmother passed away from Colon Cancer when she was just 68 years old. After my diagnosis I had genetic testing done. Surprisingly, it isn’t a genetic trait in my family tree. It’s been highly recommended that both our boys will need to have screening done much earlier than the average age of 45. The doctors recommend ten years prior to our diagnosis, which means when they are 22 years old, they will need to have a colonoscopy. 

No one in their 30s thinks about colonoscopies, it's the furthest thing from your mind. We ignored our symptoms and kept making excuse after excuse not to go see our doctors. We regret that now. We both wish we would have gone in sooner, and maybe if we had, we would not have had to go through the hardship of chemo, and for me, radiation and chemo. We also lost the ability to add to our family because the treatments left me infertile. Our diagnoses almost took everything that mattered in our lives.   

If you are having symptoms, of if you notice any sort of bleeding, don't make excuses or put it off. Go see your doctor. It's worth it! Get screened and give yourself a long healthy future with the people who matter most in your life.