In advance of Get Your Rear in Gear – Des Moines, colon cancer survivor, Ethan Hansen, 24, is telling his story to help spread awareness of colon cancer and spread the word about the event. In an article from the Des Moines Register on August 16, 2013, Ethan shares his experience and symptoms with the goal of helping other young adults cope with the diagnosis.
From DesMoinesRegister.com: Ethan Hansen / Tonya Scarcello/Special to The Register
Ethan Hansen tells Estela Villanueva-Whitman from the Des Moines Register what message he wants to get out:
I stayed positive and that helped me stay focused, taking it as an experience as well. I never expected to have cancer and sure enough it hits you. If it happens, it’s all part of a plan.
Since this experience, I’ve learned so much about it and I’m going to try to do as much as I can to raise awareness and get people to not only get screened, but to help them get through it.
So what were Hansen’s symptoms?
- Low Energy
- Blood in his stool
- Low hemoglobin
Luckily his doctor’s recognized it for what it could be and scheduled the colonoscopy that found the stage IV colon cancer. You can read Ethan’s full story from the Des Moines Register or meet him at Get Your Rear in Gear – Des Moines this Saturday, April 24.