Rylie Toomey said she was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer after experiencing symptoms for nine months.
WRIGHTSVILLE, Pa. — At age 27, Rylie Toomey has lived a life full of milestones. She landed her dream job at Three Mile Island, recently got engaged to her loving fiancé and adopted a new puppy.
Now she is facing her toughest obstacle in battling colon cancer.
“I’ve got my dream job and my dream life,” said Rylie. “I want to get through this darn disease and then I’ll be good for the rest of my life.”
Rylie’s fight with colon cancer first started nine months ago, when she went to the emergency room with stomach pain. Despite the pain, she was sent home from the hospital after doctors were unable to determine what was wrong.
She would be turned away from the ER a total of three times before she was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in April.
The diagnosis came as a shock to the entire Toomey family.
“When you hear a doctor say you have cancer; you never think that it could be you,” said Rylie.
“We never in our wildest dreams thought that she had cancer because she’s a very healthy person,” added Ron Toomey, Rylie’s father.
Rylie’s case is part of a growing trend of colorectal cancers being discovered earlier in adults.
According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer rates have doubled in the past two decades in patients younger than 55-years-old.
“It’s very alarming to see this uptick in colon cancer in young people and not knowing why,” said Stacey Toomey, Rylie’s mother.
Despite the challenges with the disease, Rylie has been relying on her faith and her family to help her through her cancer treatments.
She said she wants to use her story to raise awareness about colon cancer in young people, as well as encourage people to advocate for themselves when dealing with symptoms.
“If you don’t feel right, just get it checked out,” said Rylie. “Even if insurance won’t cover it, it may be worth it in the long run.”