Irritable bowel syndrome affects up to 45 million Americans, so when Sara Beran found herself frequently racing to the bathroom, she assumed she was just another case.
The otherwise healthy 34-year-old dealt with the issue for more than a year and a half before her life came to a screeching halt with a gut-wrenching diagnosis: stage 4 colorectal cancer.
With a husband, two young children and a thriving small business on the line, Beran knew there was only one option: fight. “I had to beat it,” she told The Post. “There was no other choice.”
A rising threat
Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer ranks as the third most common cancer in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.
Once thought to primarily affect older adults, it’s now surging among younger populations, with diagnoses in people under 50 expected to double by 2030.
Even more alarming, younger adults like Beran are often diagnosed at more advanced stages, when the disease is harder to treat and survival rates plummet. As a result, it’s now the deadliest cancer for men under 50 and the second deadliest for women in the same age group.
Pushing for answers in a pandemic
In April 2020, Beran was a busy mom juggling the demands of a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old while working as a stylist.
“I had a super healthy, active lifestyle, but I’ve always had a bit of stress and anxiety,” she said. While she often felt exhausted, she attributed it to the chaos of family life and the pressures of her career.
“They took my husband and I into a room and told me they had found over 100 polyps on my colon and a mass on my rectum.”
Sarah Beran
When blood started appearing sporadically in her stool, Beran shrugged it off, figuring it was nothing more than IBS or maybe hemorrhoids.
“I had two babies, so that’s very common,” she said. Beran also noticed her stool was thinner than usual, but without stomach cramps or other alarming symptoms, she didn’t think much of it.
But when the blood persisted, Beran decided to visit her primary care doctor.
The doctor assured her it was likely nothing to worry about, but acknowledged that colon cancer was becoming more common in younger people. She referred Beran to a gastroenterologist, who suspected a parasite was behind her symptoms and sent her home with a stool test.
The test came back normal, and the specialist put her on probiotics. “She didn’t seem very concerned at all,” Beran said, still uncertain that anything was truly wrong.
However, as the bleeding grew worse, so did Beran’s fears.
“I’m not a pushy person at all — usually whatever the doctor says is fine,” she said. “But I got to the point where there was so much blood in my stool that I went back and basically forced them into giving me an appointment because it was Covid and they weren’t taking many patients.”
This time, Beran showed her doctor a photo of the blood and was immediately referred for a colonoscopy. Even then, colon cancer was far from her mind.
“I was always one of those people that thought it would never happen to me or anyone in my family,” she admitted.
But when she woke up from the test, her life changed forever.
“They took my husband and I into a room and told me they had found over 100 polyps on my colon and a mass on my rectum,” she said.
At that moment, Beran said she was in shock.
“We drove home in silence, just thinking about what life was going to look like and how we were going to handle it with our kids and tell our families,” she remembered. “But then you go into fight mode. You get this strength you didn’t know you have.”
Chemotherapy, surgery — and more cancer
Beran endured six rounds of chemo before undergoing surgery to remove her colon. She also got an ileostomy, in which the end of the small intestine is brought through a small opening in the abdomen, allowing waste to exit the body and be collected in a bag.
“I realized that all that matters to me in life is my family. It taught me how to be more present.”
Sarah Beran
She lived with the ileostomy bag for five months as she underwent another six rounds of chemo and countless bouts of radiation.
For some, including Beran, ileostomies are reversible. She had her reversal surgery in December 2020, but the joy of ditching the ileostomy bag was short-lived.
Doctors soon told her the cancer had spread to her lungs, and she had to have another surgery to remove it, plus more radiation.
Finally cancer free
Today, Beran has been cancer-free for three years.
“After two years of being cancer free, your chances of it coming back go from 90% to 10%, so when I hit the two year mark, it was a big deal,” she said.
Now she only has to get scans every six months, and she’ll be down to once a year when she hits the five-year mark.
Beyond discovering her strength, Beran said the experience changed her outlook on life.
“I used to get so wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the fashion industry and what’s next,” she said. “I realized that all that matters to me in life is my family. It taught me how to be more present. To just enjoy the simple things. The other stuff doesn’t matter.”
Beran also came to a crucial realization: She could no longer put herself on the back-burner, as so many women do for their families.
“Taking care of myself helps me be a better mom and a better wife,” she said. “I’m trying to make that more of a priority.”
Determined to make a difference, Beran has also become an advocate in the fight against colon cancer.
Together with her friend Brooks Bell, who was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer at age 38, Beran co-founded the fashion brand Worldclass. The brand aims to shatter the stigma surrounding colon cancer and promote early screenings.
The duo also donates proceeds to fund colonoscopies for those who can’t afford them.
“The bottom line is colonoscopies prevent colon cancer,” Bell told The Post, explaining how the procedure helps doctors spot and remove polyps — abnormal growths in the colon lining — before they become cancerous.
Beran stressed that the removal of these polyps isn’t as painful as many people believe.
“You don’t feel it,” she said. “It’s much better getting a colonoscopy and getting those removed than going through cancer treatments.”
She encouraged patients to avoid rushing into the first treatment plan presented to them, especially if it doesn’t feel right, and to seek a second opinion when necessary.
“If I hadn’t done that, I think I probably would still have an ileostomy bag,” Beran said. “You have to find a doctor that knows the best plan for you and for your life.”
