A few years back my aunt was diagnosed with colon cancer. The diagnosis came as a shock to my family. It was discovered after my aunt underwent gastric bypass surgery. The surgery was successful, but there were some lesions discovered that made the doctor nervous. He quickly scheduled a colonoscopy to further investigate the problem. My aunt began losing weight quickly, both due to the gastric bypass as well as the cancer that quickly began spreading.

My aunt is grateful for the doctor’s quick response, as well as for her decision to have the surgery done. If it weren’t for that decision, the cancer would have gone undetected for a much longer time, which could have had deadly consequences.
After several rounds of chemotherapy, months of sickness, and drastic weight loss, my aunt is now cancer free and continues to improve with each passing day. While I understand that gastric bypass surgery is not the answer for every person wanting to lose weight, I am truly grateful for my aunt’s decision to have the surgery done. The discovery of her cancer early made it possible for my aunt to make a full recovery. Not all bypass surgeries will have these kinds of findings, and I understand that the point of the surgery is to help with weight loss, not to find cancer. But I am so thankful that it was caught early and things turned out okay in the end.

With a family history of colon cancer, I understand that I am now at a higher risk for this cancer myself. Taking good care of my colon may sound silly, but it has now become a pretty high priority for me.