A 33-year-old nurse thought her bleeding was caused by hemorrhoids. She was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

• Bryce Ramsey, 40, first noticed blood in his stool when he was 26.

• He ignored the symptom until it got worse over the years.

• At the age of 33, he was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

When Bryce Ramsey first noticed the on-off situation blood in stool inside He was in his 20s and it didn’t worry him too much.

He thought the bleeding was due to large bowel movements or hemorrhoids from childbirth; she had recently given birth to her son, Ashton, who weighs over 10 pounds.

She also felt increasingly tired, but there was an explanation for that: She was a registered nurse at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “I’m tired all the time, but I can justify it because I work 12-hour shifts,” Ramsey, 40, told Business Insider.

In 2019, when the bleeding got worse, she made an appointment with a gastroenterologist.

Although Ramsey was only 33 at the time and had no known family history, his GI found blood in his stool; This was one of the most common cases. colon cancer symptoms – Not making an appointment for a colonoscopy is also worrying.

Weeks later, Ramsey was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

“I was kind of in shock, but it didn’t really sink in,” he said. She called her then-boyfriend (now husband) Mickee to break the news. “So I said, ‘Okay, okay, we just have to get in there and get it out and move on.'”

Worked through chemotherapy

Afterwards Ramsey colonoscopyDuring the procedure, he learned that he had a polyp that was too large to be removed. He had an appointment with the general surgeon, who diagnosed him with colon cancer. Ramsey learned that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes.

In the surgery performed in November 2019, a 3-meter section of Ramsey’s colon and 13 lymph nodes were removed. Mickee, a friend of the surgeon, asked a favor before starting the next phase of treatment: Could they postpone his treatment for a few weeks so he could go to New Orleans?

Newly engaged people in January 2020 Ramsey started two types of chemotherapy simultaneously: IV and oral. Ramsey continued to work throughout chemotherapy. At that time, he was a branch manager at a home health agency. He said he took his computer with him to chemotherapy appointments.

Oral chemotherapy caused Ramsey to develop serious side effects and lose 17 pounds. “So I got really, really sick,” he said. He also developed cold sensitivity in his fingers. “I had to wear gloves or use a handle to open my car door,” she said, and felt “like there were knives in my throat” as she drank cold water.

Ramsey said her son and her recent engagement helped her understand the “why” of staying strong during treatment. “I was determined that no one would raise my little boy but me,” he said.

Surprise pregnancy months after treatment

The offer was made to Ramsey before he started chemotherapy fertility preservation servicesBecause chemotherapy can impair fertility.

Because Ramsey and Mickee were in a blended family that included Mickee’s children, Ramsey refused. She also did not use birth control.

A few months after finishing chemotherapy in March 2020, Ramsey found out she was pregnant. At first, she was worried about her baby’s health: “I’m having a total nervous breakdown because I’m going to have a little baby Transformer or something,” she said.

Still, a dream he saw in front of him comforted him. cancer diagnosis. “I am a spiritually faith-based person and I had a dream,” he said. “God told me there would be another baby and his name would be Luke or Lucas.”

Ramsey named his son Emree Lucas-Ray Ramsey. He said the name “means ‘strong beam of light’ and it couldn’t be more perfect than the situation it comes from.”

Genetic testing helped his family also get diagnosed with colon cancer

After being diagnosed with colon cancer, Ramsey learned that genetic testing was done for mutations that could predispose a person to cancer. Ramsey decided to do it and found out he did it. Lynch syndromeIt is a symptomless, inherited condition that increases the risk of developing colon, uterine and ovarian cancer.

Now in remission, Ramsey has annual colonoscopies, screenings and blood work. She also had a non-cancer-related hysterectomy last year, which she said made her even more relieved that it eliminated her risk of developing uterine and ovarian cancer due to Lynch syndrome.

Ever since she learned she had Lynch syndrome, Ramsey has begged her family members to get screened for cancer. “I was a whistleblower,” he said. As a result, he said that his brother was diagnosed with stage 1 colon cancer and his father now has cancer. colostomy bag After her own colon cancer treatment, her aunt learned that what she thought were gallstones were masses in her colon and liver.

When Ramsey’s sons reach their 20s, the recommended age to start testing for Lynch syndrome, he hopes they too will be tested.

Ramsey, who received the title of Miss Mississippi Plus America in 2024, took this opportunity colon cancer awareness – something he is passionate about. Ramsey also worked with various advocacy groups and lobbied for funding for genetic testing.

“I say this in every one of my conversations: ‘If it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t,'” Ramsey said. “The scary thing is, as a nurse, I’m still not fully convinced that this could be cancer.”

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