Everyone thinks they know their bodies well enough to detect if something were off. But some cancers fly under the radar, so simply knowing your body isn't always enough when it comes to your health.
At 45, Haleema Burton had no symptoms, no family history, and no reason to think anything was wrong. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, one thing kept catching her attention: a recurring commercial urging Americans to start colorectal cancer screenings at age 45.
“I’d been seeing these commercials over and over,” she tells Katie Couric Media. “So when I went to my doctor, I just mentioned it — and she said, ‘You’re turning 45 this year. Let's go ahead and schedule a colonoscopy.'”
That casual comment about an ad may have saved her life. After her first colonoscopy, Burton was diagnosed with stage I colorectal cancer. Because it was caught so early, her doctors were able to fully remove the cancer during the colonoscopy, without the need for additional surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation.
She is a case study for why screening and early detection are so vital. Now she shares her experience, hoping to be someone else's wake-up call, as the commercial was for her. Here's what this life-changing event taught her about avoiding advanced cancers.
Screen before symptoms
Burton says the most shocking part of her diagnosis was that she didn’t experience the common signs often associated with colorectal cancer, such as blood in the stool or persistent diarrhea.
“Turns out, the most prevalent symptom is no symptom,” she tells us. “I had nothing — not one thing. You expect a sign that something is wrong, but I didn’t have anything like that.”
That reality challenges one of the most dangerous assumptions about colorectal cancer: that you’ll feel it coming. In fact, early-stage disease is often silent, frequently beginning as small polyps.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, colorectal cancer develops slowly — it can take about 10 years for a polyp to turn cancerous and begin causing symptoms. Relying solely on symptoms can mean missing that window for early detection. By the time rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, or changes in bowel habits appear, the cancer may already be more advanced.
Even her doctor initially believed the polyp they removed was benign. But when the pathology results came back a week later, everything changed.
“I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck,” she says. “It just took the literal air out of my lungs.”
Her experience underscores a critical point: Screening isn’t just for when something feels wrong — it’s also how you catch what you can’t feel yet.
Speak up, even if it feels uncomfortable
For many women, especially Black women, there’s often an unspoken pressure to push through discomfort quietly. Burton says this instinct to downplay symptoms or keep concerns to yourself can become a real barrier to getting care.
“Oftentimes we deal with things in silence,” she says. “As women, we’re used to dealing with discomfort — we just kind of move through it.”
That tendency can also have real consequences: Black Americans are about 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 40 percent more likely to die from it than white Americans, according to the American Cancer Society.
Looking back, Burton says she wishes she had pushed harder and sooner in other areas of her health, like fibroids.
“If something feels off — even if you can’t explain it — say something,” she tells us.
Take preventive screenings seriously
Early-stage colorectal cancer often has no symptoms — which makes screening critical. That’s why guidelines now recommend average-risk adults begin screening at age 45, a shift aimed at catching more cases earlier as rates rise in younger people.
It can be easy to dismiss that advice if you feel healthy or don’t see yourself as someone at risk. But Burton’s experience is a reminder that these recommendations aren’t arbitrary.
Getting a colonoscopy when she turned 45 likely changed the course of her diagnosis. Since her cancer was caught early, she avoided more aggressive, sometimes harmful treatment. Her surgical oncologist called her the “poster child” for preventive screening, a label she now embraces.
Make small, sustainable changes to lower your risk
After her diagnosis, Burton didn’t overhaul her life overnight, but she did become more intentional about her lifestyle. She reduced her intake of red meat, increased her fiber consumption, and made a conscious effort to stay hydrated.
According to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, eating about 50 grams of processed meat a day — roughly two slices of ham or one hot dog — is linked to an 18 percent higher likelihood of colorectal cancer, while fiber-rich foods, such as whole grains and fruits, are linked to a lower risk.
That shift extends beyond diet. She’s now in observation mode, getting annual colonoscopies for the first three years after her diagnosis, followed by screenings every few years if her results remain clear. She also undergoes blood work every six months, which may eventually shift to once a year.
The whiplash from her diagnosis had some mental health implications, too. She now focuses on managing stress so that it doesn't overwhelm her. “I try not to overreact,” she says when it comes to the possibility of the cancer returning. “I don’t want to put my body through any additional stress.”
For Burton, it’s all about balance — focusing on what she can control. “I try to be as proactive as possible, without completely going crazy over everything.”
Nothing about Burton’s cancer journey has ever been over the top. It started with a quiet nudge in the form of a commercial she kept seeing. But acting on that subtle observation may have saved her life.
