Grace Lore was 35, politically ascendant, and convinced her body could handle anything. The Victoria MLA had climbed the ranks of British Columbia's legislature while juggling the demands of public life. When her body began sending distress signals, she did what many young professionals do: she pushed through.

Two years later, sitting across from an oncologist with a Stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis, Lore realized that sense of invincibility had nearly cost her life.

"My body was waving red flags, but I ignored them," Lore said in a recent interview, according to the Squamish Chief. Her decision to speak publicly about her experience comes as medical researchers sound increasingly urgent alarms about a phenomenon that defies conventional wisdom: colorectal cancer is surging among people decades younger than the disease's traditional demographic.

A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight

Lore's story reflects a pattern that has confounded oncologists across North America and beyond. For decades, colorectal cancer was considered a disease of aging — something that primarily affected people over 65. Screening protocols were built around that assumption, with colonoscopies typically recommended starting at age 50, recently lowered to 45 in many jurisdictions.

But the data tells a different story. Rates of colorectal cancer among adults under 50 have been climbing steadily since the 1990s, even as rates among older adults decline thanks to improved screening. In the United States, the American Cancer Society reported that colorectal cancer incidence among those under 55 has doubled since the mid-1990s. Canada has witnessed similar trends, with some provinces reporting increases of up to 60% in early-onset cases over two decades.

The reasons remain frustratingly unclear. Researchers point to a constellation of possible culprits: ultra-processed diets, sedentary lifestyles, obesity rates, environmental exposures, changes in the gut microbiome. None fully explain why an entire generation is experiencing elevated risk.

The Psychology of Denial

What makes Lore's testimony particularly significant is her willingness to name the psychological barrier that delays diagnosis in younger patients: the assumption that serious illness happens to other people, older people.

"When you're in your thirties, you think you're basically invincible," she acknowledged. It's a mindset reinforced by medical systems that weren't designed to catch cancer in young adults. Primary care physicians, working with outdated risk models, may attribute symptoms like rectal bleeding, persistent abdominal pain, or changes in bowel habits to hemorrhoids, irritable bowel syndrome, or stress.

By the time younger patients receive proper diagnostic imaging — often after months of dismissed concerns — cancers have frequently progressed to advanced stages. Stage 3 colorectal cancer, like Lore's diagnosis, means the disease has spread to nearby lymph nodes. Survival rates drop significantly compared to Stage 1 detection.

This diagnostic delay creates a cruel irony: younger patients, who might otherwise have better outcomes due to overall health and resilience, often face worse prognoses because their cancers are caught late.

Symptoms No One Should Ignore

Medical advocates emphasize that certain symptoms warrant immediate investigation, regardless of age. Persistent changes in bowel habits lasting more than a few weeks, blood in stool (even if attributed to hemorrhoids), unexplained weight loss, chronic fatigue, and abdominal pain that doesn't resolve should trigger medical evaluation.

The challenge lies in distinguishing everyday digestive issues from warning signs. Many colorectal cancer symptoms mimic common, benign conditions. But gastroenterologists increasingly urge a lower threshold for diagnostic testing in younger adults, particularly those with family histories of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease.

Some jurisdictions have begun lowering screening ages in response to the trend. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends screening beginning at 45. Advocacy groups push for even earlier intervention for high-risk populations.

Policy Implications Beyond Screening

Lore's position as an elected official adds weight to her advocacy. Politicians who survive serious illness often become powerful voices for healthcare reform, armed with both personal experience and legislative authority.

The rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer raises questions that extend beyond individual screening decisions. Should public health campaigns specifically target younger adults with awareness messaging? How can healthcare systems reduce diagnostic delays when symptoms present? What role do social determinants — access to care, health literacy, paid sick leave for medical appointments — play in outcomes?

In countries with universal healthcare like Canada, the barriers are theoretically lower than in systems requiring insurance coverage for expensive procedures. Yet even with coverage, younger patients face skepticism from providers who may not consider cancer as a likely diagnosis.

A Personal Story With Public Health Urgency

Lore has not publicly detailed the specifics of her treatment journey or current health status, maintaining some privacy around her medical care. But her willingness to discuss the initial denial — the months when her body signaled distress and she convinced herself it was nothing — offers a template for the conversations doctors say they need to have more frequently.

The medical community has begun recognizing that the "invincibility" mindset Lore describes isn't a character flaw but a predictable response to risk messaging that has long told young adults that cancer is someone else's problem, decades away.

Changing that narrative requires more than updated screening guidelines. It demands a cultural shift in how young adults perceive their vulnerability, how physicians weigh symptoms in younger patients, and how public health systems allocate resources toward prevention and early detection.

For Lore, speaking publicly represents both a warning and a responsibility. Her platform as an MLA gives her voice reach that most patients lack. If her story prompts even a handful of young adults to take persistent symptoms seriously, to advocate for themselves in medical appointments, to push past dismissals — it might prevent others from hearing "Stage 3" when earlier intervention could have caught the disease at its most treatable.

The red flags, she learned, were never meant to be ignored. They were meant to save her life.