An athlete has warned people that 'don't fit the mould' that their chances of developing cancer are 'never zero', after she was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer.
Hilary Witbrodt is a 41-year-old competitive athlete, with no attributes that would put her in a higher risk category for rectal cancer.
If anything, following medical guidance, Hilary should have been one of the people less likely to develop this disease.
She is incredibly fit and well - a distance runner who loves mountain biking.
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Her diet consists of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables - and it's also low in processed foods.
She also has no family history of rectal cancer.
But at 41, Hilary was in a state of complete shock, as a doctor diagnosed her with stage three colorectal cancer.
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Her singular symptom started in November 2022, when she realised there was blood in her stool.
"You don’t think it’s going to be anything serious," she noted, speaking to UCLA Health.
After speaking to a friend with ulcerative colitis (an inflammatory disease), she decided that the symptoms were similar and would keep an eye on it.
But by January, there seemed to be no improvement.
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After waiting three months for a colonoscopy, she knew that something definitely 'wasn't right'.
Her procedure was scheduled for April, when she was informed that a cancerous tumour had been detected.
Biopsy results displayed stage three colorectal cancer - meaning cancer had been found in the rectum, but had also been detected in some of the lymph nodes right next to it.
Her doctor advised her to have radiation and chemotherapy prior to surgery, which sometimes shrinks the tumour and eliminates the need for surgery.
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She said: "I thought, ‘I’m going to work out all through chemo, it’s going to be great'. But I was pretty tired."
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Her friend who’d had stage three rectal cancer five years earlier was also a very helpful outlet during the incredibly tough time.
Hilary said: "That was probably one of the most helpful things, knowing someone who knew exactly what I was going to go through."
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After undergoing a five-hour surgery, she was able to go home just two days later.
The athlete was fit with an ileostomy bag, after losing her confidence out in public while undergoing chemotherapy treatment, which caused frequent diarrhea.
Months following her treatment, Hilary is back to regular training and ran a 5K race in December.
But she is urging people to be proactive if they are experiencing symptoms.
"Just because you don’t fit the mould doesn’t mean that the chance is zero. You can do everything right and you’re only reducing your risk – your risk is never zero."
Mia Williams