NEWYou can now take heed to Fox News articles!
Maria Kang constructed her profession round health, wholesome consuming and serving to different mothers prioritize wellness. Despite believing she had completed “everything right,” the California mom of three was blindsided by colon cancer.
Kang, now 46, stated the diagnosis reshaped her understanding of what it means to be wholesome.
She grew to become an web sensation in 2013 after a photograph of her sculpted physique alongside her three younger sons sparked a worldwide dialog about health and motherhood.
The viral picture — captioned “What’s your excuse?” — led to her being dubbed the “No Excuse Mom” and impressed the launch of lots of of wellness communities all over the world.
More than a decade later, Kang’s world was turned the wrong way up when she discovered that she had Stage 4 colon cancer in November 2023.
Maria Kang constructed her profession round health, wholesome consuming and serving to different mothers prioritize wellness however then was blindsided by colon cancer. (Beth Baugher, Maria Kang)
“It was definitely a complete shock because I was the healthiest person I knew,” she shared with Fox News Digital. “I wanted to blame the food, but I didn’t eat bad food. I filtered my water. There was no excuse why I had this cancer.”
Looking again, Kang stated she had skilled persistent digestive issues since adolescence, together with power constipation and bloating that worsened with stress.
“It didn’t matter how many fiber pills or laxatives, it just took a long time to go,” she stated. “So, that’s been an ongoing journey throughout my life.”
Over the years, Kang stated, she satisfied herself that her digestive problems had been simply one thing she needed to dwell with.
Kang grew to become an web sensation in 2013 after a photograph of her sculpted physique alongside her three younger sons sparked a worldwide dialog about health and motherhood. (Mike Byerly)
“One thing that I realized is that we normalize problems, and we think it’s OK, but it’s not OK,” she stated. “Digestion should be like breathing. It should be like inhaling and exhaling. It should be simple. But it wasn’t simple.”
After a tumor was detected by way of a biopsy after a colonoscopy, Kang stated she initially pursued holistic approaches for 12 weeks, however the tumor didn’t shrink and should have grown barely. She then started FOLFOX, a mix of chemotherapy drugs used to deal with some gastrointestinal cancers, in 2024.
MELINDA FRENCH GATES SAYS IT TOOK 3 DOCTORS TO DIAGNOSE THE CONDITION SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM
After one therapy, Kang went to the emergency room when her colostomy stoma retracted, and a scan reportedly confirmed that the tumor had shrunk considerably. She then requested to cease chemotherapy and proceed with surgical procedure.
Kang later underwent extensive surgery to take away the tumor and a few foot of her colon, together with a number of reproductive organs and her appendix. She quickly required a colostomy and later an ileostomy.
“It was definitely a complete shock because I was the healthiest person I knew.”
Today, Kang says her MRIs have proven “no suspicious mass detected.” She will get common blood screenings and scans each six months.
“Much of what remains appears related to postoperative healing and inflammation,” she shared. “Because of my history, my doctors continue surveillance, but I have not been formally declared NED (no evidence of disease).”
Alarming tendencies
An estimated 158,850 Americans will probably be recognized with colorectal cancer in 2026, and round 55,230 individuals will die from the illness this yr, in accordance with the American Cancer Society.
Although colorectal cancer incidence has declined general — largely amongst older adults, a pattern linked partially to elevated screening and adjustments in sure danger elements — charges are rising in youthful age teams.
Kang stated her health and diet regimens additionally look drastically totally different from her pre-cancer routines. (Maria Kang)
Among adults youthful than 50, colorectal cancer incidence elevated by 2.9% per yr from 2013 to 2022.
The American Cancer Society and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advocate that individuals at common danger start common colorectal cancer screening at age 45, though these with sure danger elements may have to begin earlier.
Anyone experiencing persistent or regarding signs ought to seek the advice of a physician, no matter age.
‘I look healthy’
“It was a really big, humbling look in the mirror when you say to yourself, ‘I look healthy, but I’m not healthy,’” Kang instructed Fox News Digital.
“When someone is at a normal range in their weight, they could have cancer. They could have autoimmune issues.
DOCTORS PUSH NEW BLOOD TESTS FOR COLON CANCER AS CASES SURGE IN YOUNGER ADULTS
“We do not know what is going on on within an individual. We at all times simply need to look the half versus be the half.”
Wellness redefined
Kang stated her cancer journey has modified her perception of health and what’s vital in life.
“Cancer makes every little thing extraordinarily clear — what’s vital, what isn’t vital, what it is best to eat, what you should not eat,” she said. “If you actually take heed to your self, it turns into crystal clear when you don’t have any vitality.”
Kang’s world was turned upside down when she learned that she had Stage 4 colon cancer in November 2023. (Maria Kang)
Kang said her fitness and nutrition regimens also look drastically different from her pre-cancer routines.
“I used to coach 5 or 6 days every week, however now I solely transfer once I need to,” she said. “Walking is my finest pal. I like to bounce. I nonetheless like to strength-train as a result of it is enjoyable for me and it makes me sturdy.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Perhaps the biggest shift is that Kang no longer does anything that feels forced.
“If there’s something that I really feel compelled to do, I do not do it,” she said. “If I really feel terrible, my physique’s going to precise terrible.”
Her approach to food has also shifted, she shared.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“In the previous, there have been bad foods and good foods and cheat days … what I perceive now’s stability,” Kang said.
While she does naturally veer toward fruits and vegetables — “issues which have water and life and light-weight in them” — Kang said she is still open to eating any other foods, including pizza.
Kang underwent extensive surgery to remove the tumor and about a foot of her colon, along with multiple reproductive organs and her appendix. (Maria Kang)
Overall, Kang needs individuals to know that sustaining wholesome habits doesn’t get rid of the potential of developing cancer.
“It may occur to anyone. That was essentially the most humbling realization,” she said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
“You might imagine you are young and healthy and this would possibly not occur to you, however this world is so unpredictable proper now. Anything can occur to anyone.
“Health is not what you think it is,” she stated. “It’s not just how you look. It’s how you feel.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The American Cancer Society recommends seeing a healthcare supplier about persistent adjustments in bowel habits, blood within the stool, stomach ache, unexplained weight loss or different regarding gastrointestinal signs.
While such signs can have many causes aside from cancer, they need to be evaluated no matter an individual’s age.
