More young people are being diagnosed with cancer and doctors in North Carolina are racing to figure out why. It’s the focus of our new WRAL documentary “Diagnosis: Young,” which explores potential causes like diet, environmental exposures and genetics.
For Bianca Harvey, a former personal trainer and bodybuilding competitor, cancer was the last thing she expected. She had shared nearly every part of her life online. But when she was diagnosed with colon cancer at just 34 years old, she went silent.
“I didn’t think that I was physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually prepared for what the world might say,” Harvey said. “Or how ugly the world might be.”
It took her a year to post about her diagnosis.
“I prayed about it a lot. I asked God what avenue I should take, what I should be doing, what my purpose was because I’m still here,” she said. “And I felt like He told me, ‘It’s okay for you to tell people.’ And I’m so glad I did because that’s a whole newfound community I didn’t even know existed.”
By sharing her journey, Harvey found thousands of people rooting for her, from cancer survivors to family members of people fighting the disease.
“I didn’t know how powerful it would be,” she said. “But it’s been so impactful.”
Her story is just one of many featured in “Diagnosis: Young, The New Face of Cancer in North Carolina.” The documentary investigates why cancer rates are rising in people younger than 50 and follows several young patients through diagnosis, treatment and life after cancer.
Hope Reyonds, diagnosed with breast cancer at just 21, is now in remission. But she says life after cancer has its challenges.
“Planning for the future can feel really hard,” she said. “It brings up this doubt in the back of my mind, like what if I don’t have a future?”
For young cancer patients, support programs are critical. Duke Health offers an Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology program, which helps patients navigate fertility, family planning, career decisions, and peer connection.
“It provides the support around how to make decisions about future career and current career that are tailored for their diagnosis and ultimately, their journey with their cancer,” said Dr. Carey Anders of the Duke Cancer Institute.
For Harvey, sharing her story is about helping others avoid delays in diagnosis. Before she was diagnosed, she was told her stomach pain was caused by GERD.
“You know, I don’t want them to be going to the ER and saying that they think something’s wrong and they keep telling them like, there’s nothing wrong with you,” Harvey said.
Dr. Nicholas DeVito, one of Harvey’s doctors at Duke, believes her story could change lives.
“People will be more vigilant,” DeVito said. “They’ll be more likely to say, ‘You need to get checked out. You need a colonoscopy. Don’t settle for a GERD diagnosis.’”
And that’s Harvey’s message, too.
“We have to advocate for ourselves,” Harvey said. “We know our bodies better than anyone else.”
You can watch the full WRAL documentary “Diagnosis: Young” on WRAL’s website or WRAL’s YouTube channel.
