MEXIA, Texas — Revendy Rhodes is now a cancer-free man — he was diagnosed with Stage 3 2b colorectal cancer.
If it wasn't for a colonoscopy screening, they would not have found the cancer in time — and it might have been too late.
At age 51, Mexia resident Revendy Rhodes is proudly walking around as a cancer survivor.
“I am living a little better than I was before,” Rhodes said.
Two years ago, he noticed some things were off.
“I realized I was having some bowel issues, and I could not get an appointment with a G.I. doctor — I had a bunch of tests ran with a local doctor, they couldn’t find anything," Rhodes said.
"Well, finally I was able to get a G.I. appointment, they did a colonoscopy and that’s when they discovered I had a four-inch tumor."
This was when Rhodes was diagnosed with Stage 3 2B colorectal cancer.
“They said that it was really close to being a lot worse,” Rhodes said.
“I am seeing more patients diagnosed in their 50's," said Texas Oncology Oncologist, Tyler Snedden.
Dr. Snedden says this is no longer an "old person's" disease.
"It is becoming a concern that we are seeing it in young patients, especially under the age of 55,” Dr. Snedden said.
The American Cancer Society lowered the recommended screening age from 50-to-45 to make sure it gets caught early.
“We do see more symptoms of change in bowel habits, blood per rectum, blood in the stool, bloating, gas, unexplained weight loss, anemia, fatigue, weakness, those can be all signs and symptoms of colorectal cancer,” Dr. Snedden said.
After multiple rounds of chemo and radiation treatments, Rhodes credits his positive outlook, family and faith for getting him through.
“It’s the reason I’m still here today,” Rhodes said.
He has one piece of advice to share from his experience.
“It’s not a big deal to get a colonoscopy — I’ve had several now," Rhodes said.