For months, woman was told it was IBS. Then tests revealed biggest fear

For months, Taylor Vinson was told the stomach issues she was experiencing were most likely caused by irritable bowel syndrome. Then a series of tests turned her worst fear into reality.

Vinson is a 27-year-old teacher who lives with her parents and helps care for them.

“My dad has terminal cancer and is disabled from a series of strokes he had when I was in high school,” she told Newsweek.

Cancer has cast a shadow over Vinson’s family for nearly a decade.

“When he was first diagnosed, they said he would be fine,” Vinson said. “But now, almost 10 years later, that colon cancer has become inoperable, and he is receiving palliative care treatments just to keep the cancer from spreading any faster.”

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. The average person’s lifetime risk is roughly 1 in 23 for men and 1 in 25 for women.

Most colon cancers are not hereditary. The majority are linked to a combination of aging, lifestyle, and environmental factors rather than a single inherited gene mutation.

In September 2024, Vinson began experiencing what she described as “mild stomach issues.” She didn’t think much of it at the time.

“I’ve had stomach issues practically my whole life, so I obviously didn’t expect it to be anything serious,” she said. Her doctors didn’t initially think it was serious either.

“They said it was probably IBS and gave me some things to try to help,” Vinson said. When her condition failed to improve, she returned to the doctor in April 2025.

“The doctors said they still thought it was probably IBS, but that we could do a colonoscopy just to make sure,” she said.

That was when her worst nightmare became reality: It was colon cancer. Despite her father’s diagnosis, Vinson said the news left her stunned because of her age.

“I’ve been a little numb to it,” she said. “I never cried like you would expect someone to in this situation. I just continued to trust my doctors and believe that whatever is meant to happen will happen.”

Vinson said doctors first became concerned when they found a polyp in her colon. Further testing revealed that the polyp was cancerous and close to spreading, prompting a referral to a specialist. Now she is preparing for a bowel resection and feeling hopeful about the future after receiving a positive prognosis from her doctor.

“I should be fine with no major long-term impacts,” she said. “I’ll just have to get yearly colonoscopies.”

Vinson is sharing her story in the hope that it might encourage others to get checked. She credits her mother with persuading her to see a doctor, a push that may ultimately have saved her life.

“If my mom hadn’t pushed me to get checked out, then who knows what could have happened down the road,” Vinson said.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Sam Wilson.