Survivor urges early screening

Brett Baber says he is living proof that early screening saves lives.

Baber, a colorectal cancer survivor, received his diagnosis last year following a routine colonoscopy.

The doctor came out. I was in the recovery area in their procedure suite. And he said, “Brett, I’ve got some news to discuss with you.” And he said, “you have a small lesion on your colon.” He described it as a cancerous lesion. So, I knew then that I had cancer,” Baber said.

Baber underwent surgery to remove the lesion and is now an advocate for early detection.

Get your test done. I might not be here today had I not had that test miraculously done last June, Barber said.

Rising cases in younger adults

Experts say when caught early, colorectal cancer can be treatable. But gone undetected for too long, the mortality rate drops significantly.

In the United States it’s 158,000 diagnoses and about 55,000 deaths anticipated nationwide this year. And the real concerning thing that we have found is, we are seeing it in younger and younger people. In fact, it is now the leading cause of death from cancer in people under the age of 50, said Dr. Raman Muthusamy, American College of Gastroenterology spokesperson.

This excerpt is quoted from the WABI5 website on 3/26/2026.