They say death comes in threes, but lately it feels less like superstition and more like a pattern I can’t unsee. And the cause, in so many of these losses, is colon cancer.
First, the headlines about colon cancer and Catherine O’Hara (RIP, Moira Rose). Then James Van Der Beek — yes, our Dawson, forever standing on that dock in my teenage memory — opening up about his diagnosis before his recent passing. And then the one that truly knocked the wind out of me: my mom’s best friend Nancy, who felt more like an aunt, gone far too soon from the same disease.
I kept asking myself: Is this actually happening more, or are we just at the age where it starts touching our own lives?
According to the American Cancer Society's latest report, colorectal cancer rates in adults under 50 have been rising since the mid-1990s. It’s now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and the second leading cause in women in that age group. That’s a staggering shift for something many of us still think of as a “later in life” diagnosis.
Researchers are still untangling why. Diet, ultra-processed foods, sedentary habits, microbiome changes, environmental exposures. Likely a mix. What we do know is practical: screening now starts at 45 for average-risk adults because of this rise. And symptoms matter, even if you feel healthy. Blood in the stool. Ongoing digestive changes. Unexplained weight loss. You're not dramatic for getting it checked out.
Lately, beneath the carpools and grocery runs and half-finished emails, there’s this heightened awareness of how fragile it all is, how ordinary and precious these days can be at the same time.
So yes, plan the trip, celebrate the birthday, stay up too late with your friends, and order the good bottle of wine. But also call your doctor, know your family history, and schedule the screening you’ve been putting off.
Two things can be true at once: life is precious and unpredictable, and protecting it is part of loving it.
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