Sydney Stoner, 31, had spent months quietly suffering from severe abdominal pain, along with frequent bouts of diarrhea and constipation.
But in 2019, she was forced to seek medical attention after collapsing in pain at work, barely able to move.
Despite being in constant discomfort, Stoner recalls being dismissed by doctors, who told her she was ‘too young for it to be anything serious.’
She was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) — a common digestive condition that causes abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits.
But she knew in her gut it was something far more sinister.
As her symptoms worsened and the pain began to feel like her ‘insides were being twisted,’ the newlywed resorted to a desperate measure — she lied to doctors about seeing blood in her stool, just to be taken seriously.
That was when she was finally referred for tests and, sadly, diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at the age of 27.
Stoner, who works at a café in Arkansas, said: ‘For years, I was having really bad abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.
Sydney says that she feels frustrated that medics did not take her symptoms seriously earlier and says they believe she would have died before the regular screening age of 45
‘People would say it was just that time of the month or that it was ‘female stuff,’ but I thought, no — it can’t be this painful.
‘When I finally spoke to a doctor, he told me I was too young for it to be anything serious.
‘At that point, I wasn’t really given any other explanation, but I do remember one doctor saying it was probably IBS.’
After lying about her stool, Stoner was finally referred for a colonoscopy in September 2020.
But doctors struggled to complete the procedure — a tumor roughly five millimeters in size was blocking access to her colon.
‘I had to lie to get my colonoscopy,’ she said. ‘I told them there was blood in my stool because they kept saying I needed a referral first.’
What came next turned her life upside down.
‘When the doctors told me it was cancer, my whole world stopped spinning,’ she recalled.
‘We [my partner and I] were newlyweds — excited for this new chapter — and it all just came to a halt. I was terrified, but I was also really frustrated.’
The tumor that originated in her bowel had already spread to her liver and lungs.
Stoner was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer that had spread to her colon, liver and lungs
Since then, she has braved through 24 rounds of chemotherapy and her cancer is now ‘stable’
Once doctors discovered the extent of her situation, they surgically removed the cancerous tumors from her colon in September 2020 and liver in 2023 while she underwent chemotherapy to kill the cancer in her lungs.
Since then, Stoner has braved through 24 rounds of chemotherapy and her cancer is now ‘stable’ – meaning that the tumors in her body are not shrinking or growing and no new tumors are developing.
Since her shocking diagnosis, she has begun asking people to not ignore their symptoms and take action.
Stoner also says that she feels frustrated that medics did not take her symptoms seriously earlier and says they believe she would have died before the regular colon cancer screening age of 45.
‘I was also really mad at myself because I’d ignored my symptoms for so long, or just acted like it would fix itself.
Sydney Stoner, 31, Arkansas cafe worker claims that she ‘nearly died’ after her bowel cancer symptoms were repeatedly dismissed by doctors and diagnosed as IBS
‘Doctors said I was too young but I probably would have died before I made it to the screening age of 45. It was very frustrating.
‘I know it’s difficult but keep advocating for yourself because no one else is going to get that done for you.
‘Find a new doctor, or whatever that may be.
‘Find someone to listen to you because I know people that were diagnosed at 18 years old.
‘The screening age needs to be lower or there shouldn’t be one at all.’
Colon cancer is on the rise among young Americans. Diagnoses are expected to nearly double between 2010 and 2030.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 154,000 Americans are projected to be diagnosed with colon cancer this year, with just under 53,000 deaths expected.
The group estimates that of the projected numbers, about 10 percent of cases will be diagnosed in people under 50.
In 2023, 19,550 people under the age of 50 reported having colon cancer out of which 3,750 died.
