Mom, 40, Urges ‘Pay Attention To Your Poop’ After Blood In Stool Turned Out To Be Symptom Of Stage 3 Colon Cancer

Sharing her story with Novant Health, the advises, “Pay attention to your poop. It’s gross to talk about, but people need to be aware.”

The devoted mom of two and wife of 16 years—who works in human relations and is a co-owner of a cleaning business—first noticed blood in her stool in September 2025, and after it happened again, she decided to seek medical attention. Recalling the second incident, she said there was a significant amount of blood, along with some mucus.

RELATED: Colorectal Cancer Now Leading Cause of Cancer Death in People Younger Than 50 According to New JAMA Report

Despite not having a family history of the disease, Gomez’s symptom of recurrent bleeding in her stool led to making an appointment with her a gastroenterologist, who set her up for a colonoscopy.

After a biopsy, blood work, and a CT scan, Gomez was informed she had stage 3 colorectal cancer, as the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes.

“There are so many success stories of people surviving different types of cancers if they’re paying attention and it’s caught early. If you’re having symptoms, listen to your body and tell your doctor. It would be a different conversation if I waited until I was 45,” Gomez said, in hopes to encourage others to get checked if symptoms arise.

Gomez eventually had surgery to remove the section of her colon affected by cancer.

During a robotic-assisted procedure, doctors removed her sigmoid colon along with 14 lymph nodes, before putting together the healthy parts of her colon.

She started chemotherapy on November 24, 2025, at Novant Health Cancer Institute in Forsyth, North Carolina, and finished treatment in February of this year. She is now considered “cancer-free.”

Gomez, who will continue attending follow-up appointments that include scans and blood tests, says she is grateful for her medical team and stresses the importance of “trust between doctor and patient.”

She also urges others to have a trusted person with them during “major appointments.”

“My husband helped me so much with comforting me and also paying attention,” she added. “There were things I didn’t quite remember after I left.”

Gomez’s warning is important, especially for others around her age, as according to a new report published in JAMA on January 22, 2026, colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for men and women under age 50 combined. This is an alarming increase from the 1990s, when it was the fifth leading cause for this group.

For anyone going through a similar diagnosis, Gomez understands it can be a stressful experience, as our minds can “spiral” with all types of worrying thoughts.

“Don’t get wrapped up in the scariest on the internet,” she said, encouraging others to feel comfort in doctors and healthcare providers.

What Treatment Looks Like for Stage 3 Colon Cancer

At this stage 3, the colon cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, signaling a more aggressive disease that requires a comprehensive treatment approach.

“Stage 3 means that there’s some cancer in the lymph nodes,” explains Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon and surgical oncologist, in an interview with SurvivorNet. She emphasizes that patients facing this diagnosis should seriously consider chemotherapy as part of their treatment plan.

“Colon cancer patients with stage 3 should at least have a conversation about undergoing chemotherapy,” she says.

WATCH: Stage Three Means Cancer Has Spread Outside the Colon Wall

Despite the seriousness of the diagnosis, there is reason for optimism.

“Stage 3 cancers have probably a 50% to 60% survival at five years,” Dr. Yeo adds, underscoring the potential for long-term recovery when treatment is timely and effective.

The standard protocol for stage 3 colon cancer typically begins with surgery to remove the tumor and affected lymph nodes. This is followed by adjuvant chemotherapy—treatment administered after surgery to eliminate any remaining cancer cells that may have spread beyond the colon.

Adjuvant chemotherapy usually begins within six to eight weeks after surgery, once the patient has recovered. One of the most widely used regimens is FOLFOX, a combination of fluorouracil, oxaliplatin, and leucovorin. However, other chemotherapy options may be considered based on individual patient needs and emerging research.

“Now, for the chemotherapy, there certainly are newer agents and newer choices that could be integrated into a clinical trial,” notes Dr. Daniel Labow, Chief of the Surgical Oncology Division at Mount Sinai Health System. He adds, “Patients with stage 3 are often cured, with both surgery and chemotherapy.”

Even with successful treatment, vigilance remains essential. The risk of recurrence within five years is estimated to be between 20% and 25%, making follow-up care and monitoring a vital part of survivorship.

Chemotherapy After Surgery: A Critical Step in Treating Stage 3 Colon Cancer

The goal: reduce the risk of recurrence and improve long-term survival.

“Once a person completes that chemotherapy, we expect that they’re done,” says Dr. Paul Oberstein, a medical oncologist specializing in gastrointestinal cancers.

“They need to be watched very closely so that if there are signs that this has come back, we detect it early.”

Post-surgical chemotherapy typically lasts between three and six months and involves a regimen of medications proven in clinical trials to be most effective at preventing the cancer from returning. The most widely used combination is known as FOLFOX—a protocol that includes three drugs:

• 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)
• Leucovorin
• Oxaliplatin

These medications are administered intravenously, usually every two weeks. Patients are connected to an IV pole during treatment sessions, which take place in a clinical setting. The process may feel routine, but its impact is anything but.

FOLFOX works by attacking cancer cells at multiple levels—disrupting DNA synthesis, enhancing drug effectiveness, and damaging cancer cell structures. While side effects like fatigue, neuropathy, and nausea are common, the regimen remains a cornerstone of colon cancer care due to its proven ability to reduce recurrence and extend survival.

Understanding Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer happens when polyps are not removed and become cancerous. It can take up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become cancerous, according to SurvivorNet experts.

“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Heather Yeo, a surgical oncologist who specializes in colorectal cancers at Weill Cornell Medicine, told SurvivorNet.

“Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Dr. Yeo added.

Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously explained the colonoscopy procedure to SurvivorNet.

“When we see a polyp, we actually physically take the polyp out through the colonoscope,” he explained. “What does that mean? That means we basically put a wire through with a little bit of a flange at the end, and we pull the polyp out. Now, note there is no pain with that. Inside the colon, there are no pain fibers. So, there’s no pain.”

The advantage of a colonoscopy is that your doctor can remove any polyps found during the test. Many colon cancers can be caught on colonoscopy before they develop or when the polyps are small enough to be removed without surgery.

Looking for Polyps During Colonoscopy

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

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends guidelines that state colon cancer screenings should begin at 45 years old. This is in response to the increase we see in colon cancer diagnoses in younger adults.

However, many insurance companies still do not cover the cost of screenings for those under 50. In the past, the disease had predominantly been found in adults 50 years or older, but for those predisposed to getting it at a younger age, these new guidelines could help catch it earlier.

Colon Cancer: A Silent Killer

Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon and surgical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York-Presbyterian, previously told SurvivorNet, “Colon cancer is considered a silent and deadly killer.

RELATED: How Does a Colon Polyp Turn Into Cancer?

“What happens is people often don’t know that they have colon cancer. They don’t have any symptoms. That’s why we screen for colon cancer in the United States.”

The Rate of Colon Cancer is Increasing in Those Under 50

“You should be screened for colon cancer, even if you have no family history. Once you have your initial screening colonoscopy, if there are no polyps and you have no high-risk factors, usually once every 10 years is fine,” she advises.

“Colon cancer is a slowly progressing cancer. If you have any family history of colon cancer, you should be screened about 10 years before your family member had colon cancer. So if you have a family member that was 53, you should be screened at 43.”

Dr. Paul Oberstein Explains Common Colon Cancer Symptoms

What Increases Your Risk for Developing Colon Cancer?

For some people, certain risk factors can influence their risk of getting colon cancer. They include the following:

• Are older. About 90% of cases are in people aged 50 or older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Yet it is possible to get this cancer earlier in life.
• Have inflammatory bowel disease.  Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can, over time, cause cells in your intestines to turn cancerous.
• Have a family history of this cancer. Just under one-third of people who get colon cancer have family members with the disease.
• Have a gene mutation. About 5% of colorectal cancers are caused by an inherited genetic mutation that causes syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).
• Don’t exercise very often. Staying active can lower your risk.
• Eat a diet that’s high in meat. Regularly eating red meats like burgers and steaks, and processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon might put you at higher risk.  Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead might lower your risk.
• You are overweight or obese. Having too much weight increases your risk of both getting colon cancer and dying from it.
• Drink a lot of alcohol.  Limiting alcohol to one drink daily for women and two drinks daily for men could help lower your risk.
• Use tobacco. Long-term smokers are more likely to get this cancer than nonsmokers.

Navigating Life After Treatment

If patients have not experienced too many complications from their treatment, “they are often able to go back to many of the same things that they did before they had their diagnosis of cancer and are able to live full and complete lives,” Dr. Michael Jain, medical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet.

So what’s next after successful treatment? “At that point we often focus on the survivorship issues that they may have, preventing second cancers, and properly following them,” Dr. Jain says.

A survivorship plan will include a schedule for follow-up exams and tests, plus a schedule for tests to check for any long-term health impacts from your cancer or treatment, and screening for any new cancers.

Your doctor will likely tell you what to look out for in terms of side effects that could show up late or over the long term. Your care team will provide you with diet and physical activity recommendations as part of your survivorship plan.

Moving On From Treatment

It’s natural to feel continuing mental health effects, such as depression and anxiety, even after your treatment ends. This is where you can benefit from a supportive community. Look to strengthen your relationships with friends and family, faith groups, support groups, and mental health professionals to buoy you as you move on from treatment.

In addition to caring for their mental health, people who finish treatment and are in complete remission will want to move on from cancer with a physically healthy lifestyle. Eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, staying at a healthy weight, and not smoking are all lifestyle practices that generally contribute to a healthy quality of life.

Indeed, the cancer and its treatment might naturally point survivors in the direction of such practices. “Mostly [we’re] trying to maximize the quality of life that people have, because once you have a cancer diagnosis, I think it is an important time in someone’s life where they can take stock and really understand what’s important,” Dr. Jain says.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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