“No More ‘Do It Later'”: Deondre Williams on Life After Colon Cancer

Deondre Williams is a shining example of strength and resilience in the face of adversity. As a survivor of colon cancer, he has not only overcome the disease but has also dedicated himself to raising awareness and advocating for early screenings and detection in the community. His journey began in 2017 when he noticed blood in his stool, a common symptom of the disease. Initially, he ignored the signs and attributed them to hemorrhoids, but it was his wife who urged him to seek medical attention. “I ignored it; it was like I diagnosed myself with hemorrhoids,” Williams says adding that he used Google as a resource. “All those options pop up, until you have all these different causes or potential threats. I chose hemorrhoids. After ignoring it for the first two weeks, all I did was change my work routine. The job that I had was very physical, so I assumed that maybe I strained along the way lifting weights.” After giving his body two weeks of rest, and engaging in light activities such as walking, the bleeding ceased. Unfortunately, it returned two weeks later, this time much heavier. “After it came back, my wife was the one that...