How a Stage 4 Diagnosis at 38 Saved This Man’s Life

• Colorectal cancer is on the rise in people under 50 years old.
• One man shares his journey of being diagnosed at 38 and the importance of regular screenings.
• Colonoscopies can detect colorectal cancer early and save lives.

At 38 years old, William Lindley began experiencing stomach issues, including a constant urge to go to the bathroom.

“At the time, I was dipping tobacco and had been for several years…usually after I ate and I dip, I’d have to go to the restroom,” he told Healthline.

After a few months of consistent symptoms, he thought he might have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, once his condition began interfering with his work as a police officer in Mississippi, he knew something more serious was happening.

“I worked on the interstate doing police work, and so I’d have to come off the road three or four times [during my shift] to go to the restroom, but when I tried, I couldn’t go. Then I started seeing blood in my stool,” said Lindley.

A foot of his colon was removed, and a colostomy bag was attached. A PET scan determined that his liver was affected, too. He traveled to MD Anderson in Texas, which could offer him more effective treatments, including chemotherapy.

“After four rounds of chemo, I took off a month before I had the liver resection, which they did robotically. They got all four spots [of cancer] and removed about 5% of the liver,” said Lindley.

A few months later, spots showed up on his lung, which required more chemotherapy and lung surgery in January 2025. Now, Lindley requires no further treatment, and he continues to follow up with his doctors.

“I feel great. I’m really blessed that my body’s been able to heal fast,” he said. “I’m ready to go back to working out.”

Now 41 years old, his perspective on life has changed, including his decision to not let work carry over into his personal life.

“I’ve always been a big family guy, but when my job is done, I make sure that I spend time with my family and not take things that I used to take so serious,” said Lindley.

“We can be stubborn. We don’t want to go get checked. We don’t want to say there’s a problem, we don’t want to deal with it,” he said. “At the time I was diagnosed, I had no idea that colorectal cancer was becoming an issue with younger and younger people. If I had seen a doctor sooner, maybe I would have been in stage 1.”

Sharing his story with friends and family has resulted in some of them getting screened with colonoscopy.

“A couple found a few polyps and got those removed before it became any kind of issue,” said Lindley.

The White House recently issued a statement stating that every year, 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Christine Parseghian, MD, associate professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, said there has been a steady decrease in the incidence of colorectal cancer in adults over the age of 50 in the last several decades.

“This is due in large part to changing patterns in risk factors, such as reductions in smoking, increased use of aspirin, and particularly the uptake of CRC screening [with] colonoscopies,” she told Healthline.

“The reasons are complex and not fully understood, but may include dietary changes, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and genetic predispositions,” said Parseghian. “Physical inactivity, sedentary behavior, and increased caloric intake progressively lead to the development of obesity — an established risk factor for early-onset CRC.”

Although cases of early-onset colorectal cancer more often have a genetic component, approximately 80% of newly diagnosed young-onset CRC patients do not have an inherited predisposition.

Lindley falls into this group. Because his mother lives with adenoid carcinoma and his grandmother died from pancreatic cancer, both he and his mother were genetically tested. Neither carry any known genes that put them at increased risk for cancer.

“[We] have many patients who live healthy lifestyles with no known genetic risk factors who are diagnosed at a young age and otherwise seem perfectly healthy,” said Parseghian.

More research is needed to determine the reasons for this. However, she said some researchers have found links to disruptions in the gut microbiome composition that may be caused by dietary changes or antibiotics. These disruptions could lead to inflammation and increased risk of several diseases, including colorectal cancer.

“Others have discovered that, as young-onset CRC tumors are often more aggressive, these cancers are more likely to suppress the body’s immune responses to cancer,” said Parseghian.

“We still have much to learn about the potential contributing factors in young-onset CRC, but progress is being made steadily with institutional research programs focused on young-onset CRC here at MDACC and other large academic centers across the world,” Parseghian said.

“Colonoscopies are the best way to prevent CRC. Increasing rates of colonoscopies have resulted in steep declines in incidence among adults ages 50 years and older,” said Parseghian.

When colonoscopy finds pre-malignant polyps, they are removed, which eliminates the risk of them transforming into invasive cancer.

“If tumor is found during colonoscopy, the earlier it is found may make surgical resection easier and cure more attainable,” Parseghian said, “That 24–48 hours of dietary inconvenience and bowel preparation can truly prevent a lifetime of suffering.”

Other general risk-reducing recommendations include:

• not smoking
• reducing intake of alcohol and processed foods
• eating less red meat and saturated fats
• eating more vegetables and fruits
• decreasing body weight

Common symptoms in early-onset colorectal cancer include:

• abdominal pain
• weight loss
• change in bowel habits
• rectal bleeding

“Studies suggest that painless bleeding could precede other colorectal cancer symptoms by 2 to 3 years, and that patients with early-onset colorectal cancer who are symptomatic might wait up to 6 months before seeking assistance,” said Parseghian.

Regardless of your age, if you experience any symptoms that may indicate warning signs of colon cancer, you should reach out to your doctor.

“We need to raise awareness of this deadly disease, particularly in the young adult population,” Parseghian said.