March is COLON CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Just ask 34-year-old Amanda Houston. Fortunately, it saved her and her mother’s lives. Houston is not only willing but also enthusiastic to share what she experienced and provide information and resources.

Houston, a human resources manager at the Holiday Inn Fargo, is a wife and mother of two children. No doubt everyday life can be exhausting when trying to get it all done. But she recognized something wasn’t right.

“I realized other moms weren’t coming home from work and falling asleep instantly for a couple hours. And every time I used the bathroom there were signs. Even after just passing gas I noticed blood and mucus discharges.”

For years, she’d spotted some blood in her stool. “I thought I’m not eating right or I must not be getting the right exercise or I’d find any excuse. A couple of years before my diagnosis, I told my doctor about it. He thought it might be a fissure and said if it didn’t get better, come back and see him.”

The summer of 2013, Houston was very sick and called her doctor in August. Within a week she was diagnosed with stage II colorectal cancer (CRC) after a colonoscopy and was sent to Dr. Erik Fetner, a Sanford Health colorectal surgeon.

Houston says, “It’s very rare for people under the age of 50 to hear this, but it does happen. I was fortunate I told my doctor my concerns. Most young people are diagnosed with later stage CRC. My case just required a colon resection. They also took a fair amount of lymph nodes, maybe 30, which all tested negative. Because there was no evidence the cancer had spread, I didn’t have to receive chemotherapy.”

In the meantime, Houston’s mom, Deb Lehn, had her own health issues. “Even before Amanda’s diagnosis, I was suspicious of some symptoms of my own. I took care of all the other health checkups but I kept putting off scheduling a colonoscopy. Now I was over 60 and had never had a screening.”

A month after Houston’s surgery, Lehn’s first emergency room visit resulted in a diagnosis of colitis. Then in November a colonoscopy confirmed CRC.

“After surgery I was told there was a five percent chance the cancer would spread, and I could choose to do chemotherapy or not,” Lehn says. “I didn’t choose chemo and six months later I had stage four CRC. Another surgery removed it from my liver. I guess I don’t gamble very well.”

According to Fetner, people should follow national screening guidelines especially if they have relatives with CRC. “I wish the public perception of colonoscopy wasn’t so negative,” says Fetner. “It is an extremely easy and welltolerated procedure that literally saves lives and prevents cancer. Nearly every patient says it was much easier than they had feared.”

During a colonoscopy, detected polyps are removed so they don’t develop into cancer. That’s how getting screened early can prevent cancer.

Fetner says, “The vast majority of CRCs have no known genetic link, but an increasingly recognized percentage can be passed on in families. Family history is an important risk factor. Having a single affected first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) with CRC increases the risk about twofold.”

In general since the early 1990s, the incidence of CRC has fallen annually in the U.S. but increased slightly in people under age 50. The youngest patient treated in Fargo by Fetner was 21, but nationally even younger patients have been reported. This disease is not discriminating. Both men and women are diagnosed. And African Americans and Native Americans seem to be at a higher risk.

Both Houston and Lehn’s recent tests indicate no evidence of disease, or NED. But they will be screened often. Due to Houston’s diagnosis, her children will need to be screened at age 24.

“Maybe it’s survivor guilt, but advocacy has helped me heal,” says Houston, who is spreading the word about CRC through Fight CRC, a non-profit organization offering support and resources to CRC patients. “I want to be a voice for those who didn’t make it. There is no room for shyness about discussing it. Colorectal cancer can be prevented.”

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Houston is available to help others find resources or speak. For more information, contact her at amanda.houston0@icloud.com.

Charles Dickens wrote, “Procrastination is the thief of time.” If you or someone you know has concerns, have that conversation with a doctor sooner than later.

SYMPTOMS of COLON + RECTAL CANCERS

An ongoing change of bowel habits (diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely)

Stools that are narrower than usual

Blood (either bright red or very dark) in the stool (poop)

Rectal bleeding

Frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, or abdominal cramps

Weight loss for no known reason

Feeling very tired (weakness/fatigue)

No signs or symptoms at all

Words by Roxane B. Salonen | Photography by Mike Smith