Like many mothers-to-be, Christina Kelly developed hemorrhoids while pregnant with her second daughter.
According to , these are common side effects of pregnancy and are often caused by pressure from the fetus. cleveland clinic.
But after Sienna’s birth, the Atlanta mother of two decided to talk about her persistent hemorrhoids when she went to her doctor for a follow-up appointment.
“At that point, they were just a nuisance,” spokesperson Kelly tells PEOPLE. “They weren’t necessarily painful. It was something that would never go away. So I wanted to flag it, but my doctor said, ‘Oh, let’s get rid of it. ” he said. ”
Given Kelly’s family history of colon cancer, she decided to order a colonoscopy.
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“I just wanted peace of mind,” Kelly tells PEOPLE. “Actually, I didn’t expect to find anything.”
Kelly said she had to pay $600 out of pocket for the surgery because she was 36 at the time, much younger than 45, the age at which insurance companies usually cover colonoscopies.
“I didn’t expect that,” Kelly, now 37, tells PEOPLE. “Luckily I had the money to pay for it.”
And during a colonoscopy, doctors made a life-saving discovery.
“I woke up from the colonoscopy and was told they had found a mass,” she tells PEOPLE.
“They think that maybe the cancer caused the hemorrhoids due to a tumor blockage,” she tells PEOPLE, adding that she was diagnosed with stage 3B colorectal cancer.
“The hemorrhoids literally saved my life. The cancer itself didn’t give me any symptoms.”
That’s why she’s coming forward with her story and encouraging others to advocate for themselves, especially as colon cancer rates begin to rise.
Provided by Christina Kelly
Colon cancer cases in people under 55 have nearly doubled, accounting for 11 percent of all colorectal cancers in 1995, but accounting for 20 percent in 2019, according to . American Cancer Society. However, as Kelly points out, the screening age has not been adjusted to account for these new cases.
“There is a cost barrier for many people, so I would like to see more done, such as lowering the age of screening and having insurance cover it,” she says. “At this point, it’s hard to see ‘hemorrhoids’ and my name in the headlines. It’s worth it…to be able to save someone else from going through something like this.”
Kelly continues: “The hardest part of this whole journey was not knowing how far the infection had spread. I just look at my daughters. [Wren, 3, and Siena, 18 months] And cry. ” Kelly says. “I looked at her husband and cried. I didn’t know what my future held.”
But thanks to the colonoscopy, Kelly tells People, “I’m one of the lucky ones.”
Provided by Christina Kelly
She just finished chemotherapy on December 15th and will begin radiation treatment soon. The prognosis is good.
“We discovered this disease in the process of finding a cure.”
In addition to sharing her story, she TikTok account “It’s all about self-care and finding joy and confidence in your new warrior body,” she says of taking care of her skin while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
“If I can share my story and force someone to read it and go to the doctor and get tested, and it saves a life, then it will be worth it.”
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