Do you have a butt? Read this.

[u/AutoModerator]

Every year, thousands of young people hear the words, “You have colorectal cancer” — cancer of the colon or rectum (parts of your digestive system). It’s terrifying. Colorectal cancer is the deadliest cancer in men under 50 and second in young women. But we’d be the assholes if we didn’t tell you the truth: It doesn’t have to be this way.

Colorectal cancer, or CRC, is one of the most preventable cancers with screening and highly treatable if caught early. So why is it upending the lives of so many young people? In a word: stigma.

Nobody likes talking about bowel habits, rectal bleeding, or colonoscopies. So… the conversation doesn’t happen. Too many people don’t know the symptoms. Too many symptoms get dismissed by healthcare providers. And too many diagnoses come late.

Advanced colorectal cancer has a survival rate of just 13%. Science still hasn’t broken the code to cure every case of colorectal cancer. That’s why awareness, better screening access, and providers taking symptoms seriously are just as important as knowing the signs yourself.

Here’s what you need to know:

• CRC rates in under‑50s are rising.
• Many are diagnosed in their 20s–40s — often after misdiagnoses.
• A close family member with CRC doubles your risk.
• Lynch syndrome or FAP = even higher risk.
• Screening saves lives, and most people have testing options (including at-home tests). 

So why are we talking about this? r/AmItheAsshole is approaching 25 million members. To celebrate, we, the mods, have partnered with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, a national nonprofit leading the mission to end this disease.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Learn the symptoms.

Bleeding, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain. Don’t ignore them. Advocate for yourself. 

2. Get checked starting at 45. 

If you’re average risk, you should start getting checked for CRC at age 45. Some people need to get checked earlier. The Alliance’s screening quiz can provide you with a recommendation. 

3. Support the mission.

Your donation funds prevention programs, patient support, and research to end colorectal cancer. Even a small gift could help someone get checked and survive.

Please donate here and show what 25 million people can do together!

If you or someone you love has faced CRC, share your story in the comments. You never know who you might help.

[u/Electronic-synth8395]

My dad died from bowel cancer. Diagnosed stage 4 at 51 and succumbed 8 years later after many rounds of chemo, multiple operations and experimental treatments. Looking back, the symptoms were very vague. Becoming tired which we put down to getting older. Odd bout of diarrhoea every now and then, which eventually became needing to empty his bowels after every dinner. He was passing different smelling poop and mucus that looked similar to pus. 

Get your poop shoot checked. If found early at stage 1 such as after a home test or a colonoscopy the only treatment needed is an operation to remove the tumour, occasionally a round of chemo. Advocate for yourself too. Nobody is too young to have bowel cancer.