1 minute read
SPOTLIGHT: Craig Meddin
Craig Meddin
Trusting Your Gut
Advertisement
BY CRAIG MEDDIN
At age 40, I had been chasing gastrointestinal issues for years. I had chalked up my symptoms to stomach troubles, but my physician recommended I get a colonoscopy. I never thought it could be cancer.
At the time of my first scheduled colonoscopy, a hurricane was headed to our home in Raleigh, North Carolina. Things were getting canceled left and right, so I stopped the prep and didn’t reschedule until a couple of years later. My gastroenterologist removed several polyps, including one that was one-third the width of my colon and would require a colon resection surgery. A week later, results confirmed what we had been told to prepare for: a colorectal cancer diagnosis.
My cancer diagnosis affected my entire family. I’ll never forget my surgeon telling me, “You need to call your siblings—your family history has now changed.”
It was clear that had I waited any longer for my colonoscopy, my prognosis could have been much worse. Despite the two-year delay, they found my cancer early—imagine if I had continued to dismiss my symptoms. After my colon resection surgery, I learned the cancer was Stage IIIB and had spread to nearby lymph nodes. Once I began chemotherapy, I debated whether to share my diagnosis with others—not for pity, but for first-degree awareness. Within a couple of days of posting about it on social media, at least a dozen people messaged me to say my story had encouraged them to schedule the colonoscopy they had been putting off.
You never want to assume the worst, but you’ve got to take action. Looking back at the issues I had been experiencing for the better part of a decade, I know now that they were colorectal cancer symptoms. Even so, I feel incredibly lucky it was found sooner than later.
Early detection saves lives, so listen to your symptoms, don’t be afraid to talk about them and know that you are your own best advocate when it comes to your personal health.
In July, Craig’s oncologist told him he is in remission. Besides some lingering effects from chemotherapy, he feels nearly 100% once again—with energy levels similar to 10 years ago!
