I was 25 when I was diagnosed with cancer that killed James Van Der Beek… I dismissed warnings signs as harmless haemorrhoids
Aged just 24, having rectal cancer was the last thing on Paige Seifert’s mind – especially as her doctor had reassured her that blood in her stool was caused by haemorrhoids.
The engineer, from Denver, Colorado, went to see her GP twice about passing concerning levels of blood in August 2024, but did not find out that she had cancer until five months later.
She said: ‘My heart dropped when they told me I had cancer.
‘I noticed blood in my stool six months before my diagnosis, and I wrote it off as hemorrhoids.
‘I went to the doctor, who said I was too young for it to be cancer and thought it was hemorrhoids.’
Haemorrhoids occur when the blood vessels in the ‘cushions’ of tissue that help seal the anal canal become enlarged, as a result of pressure.
This can be triggered by a range of factors, primarily constipation (causing straining), pregnancy, chronic cough and heavy lifting.
Ms Seifert was saw a gastroenterologist (GI) in January 2025 just to be safe. They performed a colonoscopy and immediately saw the tumor in her colon and diagnosed her with colon cancer.
Paige Seifert was just 24 when she found out she had bowel cancer
It’s the same disease that took the life of James Van Der Beek, best known for his role in Dawson’s Creek, who died on February 11, 2026, after being diagnosed in 2023.
Like Ms Seifert, he had experienced a change to his bowel habits, but dismissed it as being due to drinking coffee.
The father-of-five, who died aged just 48, spent his final years warning people about the symptom he almost missed.
Colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer, is surging in young people in Britain and many other countries.
Bowel cancer, one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, is found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum.
Every year, around 44,000 people are diagnosed with the disease in the UK, which kills around 17,000 over the same time period.
The first signs are often persistent changes in bowel habits – such as diarrhoea and constipation – as well as blood in the stool, abdominal pain, fatigue and unexplained weight loss.
Obesity, lack of exercise and alcohol have all been shown, over time, to raise the risk of the disease.
She had the tumour and a foot-long section of her colon removed
Speaking of when she found out she had cancer, Ms Seifert said: ‘I initially thought, you know, whatever is going on, at least it is not cancer.
‘But it was the worst-case scenario.
‘When my GI doctor performed the colonoscopy, as soon as he went in, he saw the tumor and knew it was cancer.
‘I woke up from the surgery, and he came to tell me it was “undoubtedly cancer”.’
Ms Seifert was told she had stage three colon cancer after being referred to an oncologist who performed a MRI scan to see if the cancer had spread.
A few days later, while skiing in Aspen, Colorado, Ms Seifert went on her patient portal and found out she had stage three cancer.
Ms Seifert said: ‘I was at a ski competition with my friends.
‘I checked my phone, and I read stage three cancer. I just felt sick to my stomach.
‘It was a feeling that I have never felt in my life.
‘My mind immediately went to ‘am I going to die?’ It was a horrible feeling.
‘It was hard for my parents; they live on the other side of the country, it was stressful for them, but they traveled out as much as they could.’
Ms Seifert started 12 rounds of chemotherapy in February 2025.
Halfway through chemotherapy, treatment was paused so Ms Seifert could have the tumor removed in July 2025.
‘In the summer, the doctors removed the tumor and a foot of my colon,’ Ms Seifert said.
‘After the operation, I started treatment again and completed it two weeks ago.
‘A week after treatment stopped, I had a clear scan.
‘The tumor is gone, they also removed 37 lymph nodes and tested them.
‘My cancer has gone, and the recurrence markers are negative.’
Ms Seifert said she felt a ‘sense of relief’ when the results came back clear.
She said that her love of sports – including skiing and mountain climbing – helped her get through her diagnosis and treatment.
Ms Seifert said: ‘It is a sense of relief, but only for a moment.
‘Getting cancer at 24 feels like I am bound to get cancer again.
‘I have had some complications since my clear scan, even if the cancer has gone, there is still sickness I have to deal with.
‘I genuinely believe that my active lifestyle helped me get through the last year.
‘If I were having a down day, I would go and play sports – I don’t know where I would be without it.’
