I had been having some random stomach pain sporadically for a few weeks. One night, the pain became excruciating. After calling the nurse’s line, we decided to go to the emergency room. My wife and son were with me. They took me for a CT scan as part of the process of finding the source of the pain.

After being in the room for a while, the doctor came back and said that they saw a mass in my colon. He then stated that based on his experience, he was sure that it was positive for colorectal cancer. I was referred to a surgeon the next day who in turn referred me to a gastroenterologist.

I had my colonoscopy, which confirmed that the mass was cancerous and that I was stage III. I was then referred back to the surgeon since the mass was in my sigmoid colon causing a blockage. Surgery removed the mass and two lymph nodes. I was then referred for chemotherapy.

Get screened because it could save your life! I have no family history of cancer and was in fairly good shape before my diagnosis. Detecting it early spared me from other issues.