The 43-year-old suspected a stress ulcer or hemorrhoids like the ones she had when she was pregnant.
But when the nausea set in and her appetite waned, she decided to give her doctor a call.
Several blood tests and scans later, she received an unexpected diagnosis:stage 4 colon cancer.
Illustration by Mira Norian for Verywell Health
The disease had taken root in her colon and spread to her liver, coating it in tumors.
My whole entire life, Ive always wanted to be a mom.
I wasnt a mom until my mid-30s.
That just wasnt fair, Wentworth said.
Wentworths desire to spend more time with her family buoyed her through months of intensive treatment.
She eventually became eligible for surgery to clear her cancer.
My boys are my world.
I dont know how things would have been if I didnt have my boys.
They kept me going.
I had such a huge strong support system through it all.
That really, really helped me.
Wentworth is among a growingcohort of young adults who face diagnoses that are more commonly associated with late-in-life afflictions.
The trend isnt limited to colorectal cancers.
Cancer at any age is challenging at a baseline.
He noticed a small red spot on his cheek but thought nothing of it.
Brown, now 57, recalls how much he felt like an outlier in hospital waiting rooms.
Brown received a bone marrow transplant (now called from his twin sister after several failed chemotherapy regimens.
During treatment, he was stuck living in a sterile environmenta common cold could overwhelm his compromised immune system.
He had to make do without the comradery of his friends and the joys of playing basketball.
My life got really small.
My life got very isolated, Brown said.
When its isolated, theres darkness.
it’s possible for you to learn lessons from darkness, but you cant stay there too long.
I was hanging out with my mom and dad again, a lot.
As a fresh college graduate, kids werent yet on Browns mind.
But chemotherapy, radiation, and other cancer treatments can render sperm and eggs untenable.
Browns doctor directed him to bank his sperm before he received his first round of chemotherapy.
Not everyone will lose their fertility during cancer treatment.
Fertility preservation can be complicated for newly diagnosed young adults who may not yet be ready to have kids.
Fertility preservation is now a standard part of young adult cancer care.
But with them being so young, they look for my attention.
Not being able to do as much with them while I went through my treatments was really hard.
Throughout treatment, Wentworth tried to overcome the persistent fatigue to spend quality time with her sons.
She cheered on their sports teams and helped them through remote schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
All she and her husband could do was be honest.
She had a good team of doctors and would take medicines that would kill the cancer.
She would fight hard to get rid of it.
But certain early-onset cancer types put people at a higher risk for recurrence.
Those include non-Hodgkins lymphomaBrowns first cancer.
His initial treatments failed, and the cancer progressed to metastatic stage 4.
That treatment, however, left him with a tall stack of medical bills.
I have to go get a job at age 57 because I burned through my entire savings.
I burned through my entire 401k.
Across more than 130 Facebook groups, members share their stories, wisdom, and resources.
After healing from a surgery complication and undergoing radiation, she was declared cancer-free.
For people who have cancer, find that support group and find a team that you’re comfortable with.
And get a second opinion, Wentworth said.
The organization also runs a24-hour hotlinethat offers cancer information and guidance (1-800-227-2345).
Now, Griffin-Larrys involved with efforts like American Cancer Societys Cancer Screen Week to encourage early detection.
Your whole life passes before youall the plans that you had.
Then youre in your head like, Why did I not just have kids in my 20s?
Who cares if I wasnt married?
I should have just gone out and done it, Griffin-Larry said.
Howard Brown
My life got really small.
My life got very isolated.
When its isolated, theres darkness.
you’re free to learn lessons from darkness, but you cant stay there too long.
Griffin-Larry said she clung to an optimistic outlook on life and kept her family close.
Now, she said she doesnt make grand plans for her life, because something always comes up.
Me and my husband, we dont plan.
Griffin-Larry said her cancer experience has compelled her to take a leap and start writing her own music.
Now she creates songs and music videos, some of which intend to uplift other people with cancer.
Going through cancer made me push past the fear.
When you go through something so hard, it makes it easy to see the good.
American Cancer Society.Cancer Facts & Figures 2024.
2016;122(1):116-123. doi:10.1002/cncr.29685
