‘Be Your Own Advocate’: How a St. Pete woman found pre-cancer 5 years before the recommended screening age

ST PETERSBURG, Fla. - A Bayfront Hospital worker got screened early for colorectal cancer, after discovering her family had a history of colon cancer.

Sometimes you need an extra push to go to the doctor, and that move saved the life of a local woman’s father, herself and her siblings.

Colonoscopies are necessary for everyone at some point, and they can save lives. 

"The prep? It’s a cleanse. I mean everybody does the trendy cleanses, just treat it like that," said Jillian Begin.

"My dad, when he was 52, was diagnosed with colon cancer. He was more of he was 50, he was overdue. There were no symptoms, but my mom was like you’ve got to do it. There’s always someone pushing you in the background. You’ve got to do it," said Jillian Begin, the director of surgical services at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg. 

"He’s a survivor. He went through a lot. But then, it’s your dad has cancer. My grandfather on my mom’s side had cancer. You start going okay, this is real."

Jillian sees patients screened and diagnosed all the time working at the hospital. So, her family history made her push for her own screening, getting one at 40 years old instead of the recommended age of 45.

"I had pre-cancerous polyps. I had four and one of them was very, very aggressive, and I was able to get it out. So, if I had waited until the recommended (age) before my dad was diagnosed, I probably would have advanced polyps, potentially even cancer right now," said Begin.

Dig deeper:

Dr. J. Ryan Williams, who is a colon surgeon at Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, said the recommended screening age of 45 almost does not matter anymore.

"We’re seeing younger and younger people get colon cancer," said Dr. Williams. "Those who are ignoring the screening they’re the ones we still see. But then we still see this younger group now that for one reason or another we haven’t quite homed in on what’s happening, they’re getting cancer earlier."

Dr. Williams works with Begin, and he said patients know their bodies better than a doctor.

Begin convinced her older brother and twin sister to also get early screenings after she got hers.

"My brother, who is the person who doesn’t go see doctors, doesn’t do annual physicals. I think it turned for him. He was like, ‘I need to get mine done.’ When he got his done, he had such a large polyp that he had to go back in six months and make sure they got it all," said Begin. "And then my twin sister had a pretty big battle even though with my big brother and myself had diagnoses, her insurance company still pushed back. She finally got it done, and she’s actually the only one out of us that does not have any polyps at this age."

What they're saying:

Bleeding is the number one symptom along with changes in your regularity.

"Abdominal discomfort, pain, bloating, where you eat, and you just feel like oh, it just doesn’t feel right. Be your advocate and bring it to a doctor," said Dr. Williams.

Doctors said the prep is a lot easier now.

"People really worry about the prep more than the colonoscopy. And the old preps where you had a big five-gallon jug, like a gas can. That thing has gone by the wayside," said Dr. Williams. "There’s so many different preps out now. There are options of just taking pills. There are options of two little drinks."

So, if there’s nothing there, it’s better to know.

"If it saves your life, that’s more of a conversation we have to have," said Begin.

She said if you know your history, there are providers and specialists who can find the diagnosis code to help insurance companies approve an early screening.

Anyone over the age of 50 should be checked for colon cancer. 

There are risk factors that can increase your chances of developing colon cancer, including family history, diabetes, and smoking. 

Dr. Williams said race is also a factor, as Black men and women are at a higher risk for colorectal cancer. He recommends the Black community start screenings at 40 years old.