38-Year-old Dad Of Three Dismissed Stomach Pains & Frequent Bathroom Trips As IBS or Diverticulitis. But It Was Colorectal Cancer

In a recent interview with to TODAY.com, Lindley explained what led him to get checked a she was having symptoms for months before his diagnosis. He said, “I really started feeling like I had to go the restroom a lot. I’d be at work and I would have to come off the road three or four times a night. … I was like, man, something’s not right.”

After speaking with a friend who works as a gastroenterologist, Lindley recounted, “I figured he might tell me I had to take some medication or something for a little bit and be good to go.”

However, he was advised to get a colonoscopy, which led to his “shock” diagnosis. One day later, he met with a surgeon, and later that week had surgery and was fitting with a temporary ostomy [stoma] bag.

Following the procedure he went to MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, where more testing showed his cancer, which was first thought to be stage 2, was actually stage 4, as it had spread to his liver.

WATCH: Common Misconceptions About Colon Cancer

He explained further, “We finished up chemo and, you know, rocked on from there,” noting he was able to get his stoma bag removed in October 2023.

With a complication occurring in the surgery, where Lindley’s intestines “flipped” around, he needed more time to recover. During his recovery period, he started feeling more sick and became septic, but an emergency trip to the hospital showed his cancer had come back and spread to his lungs.

Immediately after learning about his cancer recurrence, he began taking a chemotherapy pill for about a year. Then, in January 2025, he had the tumors in his lung removed.

Lindley, who also had approximately one foot of his colon removed, may have gone through some arduous times during his cancer battle, but he and his family have been able to “make light of the situation and find some positive in every part.”

Now, Lindley, his wife, and kids are choosing to make healthier decisions when it comes to what they eat, and they try to avoid processed foods.

He warns, “I tell everybody, if you have an issue, go get checked.” However, he remains grateful for his journey as “there’s just so many positives that have come out of it.”

Colon Cancer vs. GI Symptoms

Gastrointestinal problems can be caused by many factors. One important thing to remember is that colorectal cancer is usually a slow-growing cancer, so symptoms may not be apparent until the cancer has spread. In other words, getting a routine screening, such as a colonoscopy, is very important, rather than looking out for concerning symptoms.

Dr. Zuri Murrell previously told SurvivorNet, “all colon cancer starts as these small growths called polyps. And these polyps have no signs, no symptoms. The only way you can know you have them is if you do a colonoscopy, and you see them.” Moreover, he adds, during the colonoscopy, the polyps can be removed.

However, there are some key symptoms that should prompt you to check with your doctor about potential colorectal cancer. According to the CDC, these include:

• A change in bowel habits
• Blood in your stool
• Diarrhea, constipation, or a feeling that you’re not completely emptying your bowels
• Persistent abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss

According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, while IBS and colorectal cancer share some symptoms, especially in bowel habits, “Colorectal cancer may have additional symptoms of blood in the stool, weight loss, fatigue, and a feeling of incomplete bowel movements.”

Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions

Understanding  & Treating Colorectal Cancer

Colon cancer is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). Your doctor might call this type of cancer colorectal cancer.

The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don’t have these polyps removed, they can sometimes change into cancer.  It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become a full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts. If you get the recommended screenings, your doctor will have time to remove any polyps that form, before they can cause problems.

While experts don’t know exactly what causes colon cancer, they do point to certain risk factors, such as diet, smoking tobacco, and drinking alcohol. Having a family history of colorectal cancer can also increase the risk.

Both men and women can get colon cancer. Overall, it is the third most common cancer in people of both genders in the United States. But it’s also very preventable, with the recommended screenings.

Dr. Heather Yeo, colorectal surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine, wants to remind people how far the treatment of this disease has come.

“One of the most exciting things about my job is that we’ve made a lot of progress on treatment options,” Dr. Yeo said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. “However … while they’re living longer, [patients] are still living with colon cancer.”

She explained that patients with stage I to III colon cancer typically need to undergo surgery.

Choosing the Right Surgery for Your Colon Cancer While Avoiding Marketing Gimmicks 

During surgery, the surgeon removes the section of the colon with the cancer, along with nearby lymph nodes — a procedure that’s known as a partial colectomy. Surgeons can perform it through an open incision, but increasingly it’s being done laparoscopically through several small incisions using specialized tools. Surgery is followed by chemotherapy to get rid of any cancer cells that might have been left behind.

Related: The Type of Colon Surgery Depends on the Location of the Tumor

After a partial colectomy, surgeons typically reconnect the two ends of the colon. But in some cases, the surgery creates enough of a disruption in the colon that it becomes difficult to have a normal bowel movement afterward. In that case, the surgeon will perform a procedure called a colostomy, creating a temporary or permanent opening through the belly through which stool can exit the body. Wastes collect in a pouch worn on the outside of the abdomen, called an ostomy bag.

“A colostomy or an ostomy, is taking the bowel and attaching it to the skin so the bowel movement would go into a bag, rather than out the anus and rectum,” Dr. Daniel Labow, chief of surgical oncology at Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview.

Colostomy sounds much worse than it is. “Once you get over the psychosocial effects, you can lead a totally normal life,” Dr. Labow says. “It’s not painful. It’s just getting used to a different way.”

The Spike in Colon Cancer Cases in Young Adults

The average age people are diagnosed with colon cancer is 68 for men and 72 for women, according to the American Cancer Society.

However, the National Cancer Institute reports that since the 1990s, colorectal cancer cases have been rising among adults younger than 50. Research published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians found that the proportion of cases in people younger than 55 “increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.”

“We know rates are increasing in young people, but it’s alarming to see how rapidly the whole patient population is shifting younger, despite shrinking numbers in the overall population,” cancer epidemiologist and lead study author Rebecca Siegel said.

Researchers are still trying to determine why younger people are being diagnosed in more significant numbers. Some experts point to risk factors, which include obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking, as a possible explanation for the increase.

“We don’t know for sure why we are seeing earlier onset and death from colon cancer,” Dr. Yeo explained.

“It is likely a combination of factors, including diet and genetics as well as access to care and some environmental factors.”

WATCH: How Doctors Look for Polyps.

Most colon cancers can be prevented if people are regularly screened. The screening usually involves a colonoscopy, in which a long, thin tube attached to a camera is used to examine the colon and rectum. If no polyps are discovered, the following screening won’t be needed for ten years.

“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Yeo told SurvivorNet. “Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Yeo added.

The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45.

Pushing For A Correct Diagnosis

When it comes to your health, be a little pushy. You know your body better than anyone else. When you see a doctor for a problem, don’t hesitate to make sure that your question is fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work.

As a patient, if you don’t feel like each of these four things has been accomplished, just ask! Even if it requires multiple visits or seeing additional providers for a second opinion, always be your own advocate.

The Importance of Being Your Own Advocate

Dr. Zuri Murrell, director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet that healthcare guidelines are meant to do the right thing for the largest number of people while using the fewest resources.

“The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic,” he said.

Dr. Murrell told SurvivorNet that not every patient will “fit into the mold,” so it’s important to educate yourself and be your own health care advocate.

“Every appointment you leave as a patient, there should be a plan for what the doc is going to do for you, and if that doesn’t work, what the next plan is,” Dr. Murrell advised. “And I think that that’s totally fair. And me as a health professional that’s what I do for all of my patients.”

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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