LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Kentucky woman is sharing her colorectal cancer story ahead of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, as rates of the disease continue to rise in adults under the age of 50.
Amanda Fitzpatrick was 47-years-old when she noticed something was wrong right after celebrating Christmas in 2024.
"I was seeing blood where you shouldn't see blood," Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick said she planned to schedule a colonoscopy early in 2025, but her symptoms escalated before she could make that appointment.
"I had gone to work and was just feeling really dizzy, really just not myself," Fitzpatrick said.
After going to the emergency room and undergoing tests, Fitzpatrick had a colonoscopy the next day. The results came back on New Year's Eve.
"I got the news on New Year's Eve that it was positive for cancer, which ruined my New Year's Eve plans, but we managed to get through," Fitzpatrick said.
Her instincts led to an early-stage colorectal cancer diagnosis and a successful, minimally invasive surgery that saved her life. Fitzpatrick credited the people around her for helping her push forward.
"I work with incredible women who were like, 'Go, let's do this, let's take care of it,'" Fitzpatrick said.
Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in adults under age 50 in the United States as of 2023, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Kathleen Martin, one of Fitzpatrick's providers at CHI Saint Joseph Health, offered a message of hope.
"We can prevent it, and we can cure it early," Martin said.
Dr. Jessica Croley, another one of Amanda's CHI Saint Joseph Health providers, noted that colorectal cancer is happening earlier and earlier, and that anyone age 45 and older should be screened. Croley also reflected on what could have happened had Fitzpatrick waited.
"If she had waited until 50, which everyone is so accustomed to age 50 being the starting point for colonoscopy, she probably would've had stage three or stage four cancer," Croley said.
Martin emphasized why screening before symptoms appear is critical.
"Because the symptoms don't occur until the cancer can be advanced, we want people to get screened before there are any symptoms," Martin said.
For Fitzpatrick, a single mother of two, one of her biggest concerns after her diagnosis was how she would have managed more intensive treatment.
"Even if the outcome would have been okay... we still have to do this treatment. How would I have managed that as a single mom?" Fitzpatrick said.
CHI Saint Joseph Health has a HOPE line open for patients who want to learn more about cancer or to schedule a consultation, which can be called at (859) 313-4673.
