Twin Brother, 23, With ‘Crippling Gut Symptoms’ Was Told By Doctors ‘It’s Just Colitis:’ It Turned Out To Be Cancer

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23-Year-Old Battles Bowel Cancer After Persistent Symptoms

After ongoing symptoms and inadequate testing, a young man, 23, was diagnosed with late-stage bowel cancer.
In the UK, where he lived, bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed.
Always push for more tests and a second opinion if you’re not getting answers about your body and your illness.

Ryan Brown, 23, has persistent gut health issues, and later learned he had bowel cancer. It’s so important to pay attention to anything that feels off in your body, and push for tests and answers.

Brown’s twin sister, Hope, reflects on Brown’s cancer diagnosis and his “agonizing gut symptoms.” His twin believes he wasn’t initially tested for cancer due to his young age.

She says, "I remember I saw Ryan's face just drop when he was told. You don't expect to lose your life at 23. He hadn't even finished uni. He didn't even get a chance.”

"When a medical professional tells you that it's just colitis, you will believe them. He was failed 100 percent."

Brown studied electrical engineering at Strathclyde University. Hope describes him as "the smartest person.”

Ryan Brown’s Bowel Cancer & Understanding Bowel Cancer

Since age 12, Brown suffered colitis, and he had a family history of the disease.

Brown’s sister Hope says, "The longer you have colitis, the increased chance of getting bowel cancer. It shouldn't matter that he was 23. Opportunities were missed.”

Brown became sick in February 2021, and he was passing blood in his stool, and losing weight. His condition became worse in March; he was given steroids and then sent home. In April, he was “crippled” with pain and had trouble walking. He finally had a CT scan after his bowel was perforated. After the scan, doctors discovered a tumor that had spread through his bowel, lymph nodes, and liver.

Bowel cancer is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel, says the National Health Service. Depending on where cancer starts, bowel cancer is sometimes called colon or rectal cancer, or colorectal cancer.

In the UK, where Brown lived, bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed. And it typically presents in people over the age of 60. And in the U.S., colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women, excluding skin cancers. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that in 2021 there will be 104,270 new cases of colon cancer and 45,230 new cases of rectal cancer.

Treating a Bowel Obstruction Caused by Colon Cancer

Pushing for Answers

When working with your medical team, tell them precisely what you feel and raise anything that may feel off to you. Every symptom should have a plan to address it, and if you feel like you are not being heard, continue to push and seek a second opinion if your concerns are not being addressed.

The only way to know this is to continue to push for answers, telling your medical team exactly what you are experiencing and demanding that you receive the best treatment for your specific situation.

"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. Zuri Murell, director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "And I think that that's totally fair. And me as a health professional that's what I do for all of my patients."

Be Pushy, Be Your Own Advocateâ€¦ Don't Settle

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