'Screen early': Bay Area woman with stage 4 colon cancer shares dire message
People under 50 are dying from this type of cancer at an alarming rate
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In March, we are reminded that it's Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. We continue to see an alarming rate of people under 50 dying from this type of cancer. It is now the number one cause of cancer death for men under 50 and the second cause of death among women, also under 50. It is also one of the most preventable cancers and that's the message Jamie Comer wants you to hear.
ABC7 News reporter Lyanne Melendez met colon cancer patient Jamie Comer a few years ago and found her to be rational despite her difficult circumstances.
"I was told that I had stage 4 colon cancer which had metastasized to my liver, and I had 45 tumors on my left side and 12 tumors on my right side and that I would likely die within three to six months," said Comer during an interview in 2023.
Upfront about her cancer, at the time she asked that we record a Zoom conversation while undergoing chemotherapy.
"Total time spent here is anywhere from eight to 11 hours. I am on chemo for three days every other week," she informed ABC7 from the center where she had her chemo that day.
VIDEO: Colon cancer rising among young adults 20-49 years old: Here are their stories
We followed up one year later as she showed us her intense regimen for staying on top of her cancer.
"I've had about 180 rounds of chemo and seven surgeries, probably about 60 to 70 scans," she revealed.
That was last year and this month, we got a call from Jamie saying she's receiving hospice care from her home and just wanted to talk.
"Do I fight really hard or do I just give in?" she asked the hospice nurse.
Jamie meets regularly with her nurse who helps monitor her condition and pain. She's no longer on chemo.
MORE: Cancer rates are rising in younger adults. Here's what to know and steps to reduce risk
"It wasn't a difficult decision. There were no treatment options that were working and the chemo was making me sicker so I couldn't recover," she explained.
At 47, a routine blood test discovered that something wasn't right. At the time, the recommended age for a colonoscopy was 50.
"Subsequent to that, the screening age was moved to 45. If that had been the case and I had been screen, I would have been inconvenienced for maybe 18 months but it would not have been a death sentence," she told us.
She's a firm believer of screening even earlier. This year, she was too sick to see San Francisco City Hall light up in blue to acknowledge Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
"I'm really a pain in the butt. I keep saying the same thing - screen early, what about this, try this," she said.
MORE: How a new online tool is helping people of any age assess their colon cancer risk
Jaime admits her daughter, Olivia and her husband are the people who keep her from giving up.
"Who would want to leave, who would want to leave this beautiful world with all this kindness?"
Her choice has always been hers.
"To the problem in your life, you are the answer and you are the solution. You have to figure it out," she insisted.
If you person has a history of colon cancer in their family, the recommended age to get screened is 40 or if a member of that family got colon cancer at age 40, you should get screened at 30 -- always 10 years earlier.
