A 14-year-old dancer was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer after years of pain and being rejected by her doctors.
Liberty “Libbie” Ashworth of Panora, Iowa, first began complaining of nausea, back pain and loss of appetite when she was in sixth grade.
She suffered from extreme constipation and her family took her to She visited several doctors to determine the cause of her complaints, but was always assured that she was fine.
Even when Libbie had blood in her stool during her freshman year of high school in 2020, doctors told her it was normal for teenage girls.
Liberty ‘Libbie’ Ashworth was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 14 after being hospitalized for severe abdominal pain
Liberty ‘Libbie’ Ashworth was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 14 after being hospitalized for severe abdominal pain
But her family didn’t give up: “My mother wasn’t very happy and we went to another doctor,” she said. told TODAY.
And when Libbie, now 18, developed severe abdominal pain, she was rushed to hospital, where doctors discovered a “grapefruit-sized tumor” and diagnosed her with stage 4 colon cancer, at just 14.
Libbie’s father, Tim Ashworth, added: “It was so frustrating. They thought we were just taking her to the doctor too much. We kept saying something was wrong with her.”
When her symptoms first manifested as back pain, Libbie thought it was due to her intense dance routines and exercises, but her loss of appetite prompted her to see a doctor.
She said, “I didn’t feel well. I even went and got an allergy test because I had no appetite.”
No cause was found and doctors told Libbie she was fine, but in 2020, “everything went downhill,” Libbie said.
She told TODAY that she regularly suffered from stomach upsets and high fevers. Doctors tested her repeatedly for Covid, but she was always negative.
Concerns quickly arose for her health when Libbie noticed blood in her stool, but doctors dismissed her anyway, telling the family that ‘it is normal for teenage girls to have blood in their stools occasionally’.
Libbie, a dancer from the very beginning, initially thought her back pain was caused by her intense exercises and advanced routines
Doctors found a “grapefruit-sized tumor” pressing against Libbie’s spine, explaining her back pain
One doctor even said her symptoms were psychosomatic, an illness caused by stress or anxiety.
She said: ‘It almost broke me because it really hurt that a medical professional who I should be trusting with my life told me it was all in my head.
“They actually put me in touch with a psychiatrist.”
But her parents demanded that doctors refer her for a colonoscopy, the gold standard for colon cancer screening.
Finally, a new doctor agreed and prescribed the test.
Before she could undergo the procedure, the teen suffered from severe abdominal cramps. Although she initially attributed it to her period, it “got worse and worse.”
“I was screaming and crying, and I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t stand,” Libbie said. “It was horrible.”
Her parents took her to the emergency room, where she underwent a CT scan.
In December 2020, the teen underwent surgery to remove the tumor and half of her colon
Libbie later tested positive for the genetic disease Lynch syndrome, which increases the risk of developing certain cancers at a young age
She said: ‘[Doctors] said something like, “Oh, there’s definitely something in your stomach,” and they didn’t know what it was.
“We had an MRI scan done and they found a tumor the size of a grapefruit.”
Her back pain was caused by the large tumor pressing against her pain, causing two discs to bulge.
Doctors sent Libbie to a more advanced hospital in Des Moines, Iowa and in November 2020, the family received a definitive explanation for her symptoms.
For stage 4 colon cancer, the five-year survival rate is approximately 14 percent.
“I was absolutely scared,” Libbie said.
A month later, she underwent surgery to remove the tumor and half of her colon. Doctors also had to remove an ovary.
Shortly after, she began chemotherapy at UnityPoint Health—Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.
Recent statistics show that the number of cases of colon cancer has increased by 500 percent in children between the ages of 10 and 14 and by 333 percent in teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19.
The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 106,590 cases of colon cancer and 46,220 cases of rectal cancer this year, with 53,010 deaths.
Experts warn that the number of deaths from colon cancer among young people will double by 2030.
After her surgery, Libbie began chemotherapy at UnityPoint Health — Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa
Libbie’s parents became fierce advocates for their daughter, pushing for procedures and testing and learning more about cancer in teens and young adults.
This cancer, which is particularly difficult to treat because of its late diagnosis and wide-ranging symptoms, is expected to become the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50 by the end of the decade.
It is currently the fourth most common cancer in the U.S., after lung, prostate and breast cancer. And nearly one in four patients are diagnosed after the disease has spread to other organs.
Doctors are still trying to figure out what is causing this unprecedented increase. Theories include modern diets, antibiotic use, and fungi, as well as delayed detection in young people.
Libbie’s mother, Jennifer Jensen, again urged doctors to test her daughter for Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition that increases the risk of developing several types of cancer, including colon cancer.
Despite her parents testing negative, Libbie was positive. While genetic mutations are often passed down from parents, they can sometimes occur randomly without any family history.
About one in 300 people in the US has Lynch syndrome and is diagnosed with hereditary cancer estimates.
People with this condition have a higher risk of developing colon cancer before age 50, cancer of the uterine lining before age 50, and a family history of multiple cancers before age 50.
According to The Jackson LaboratoryTwo to four percent of colorectal cancer cases can be attributed to this condition.
The table above shows the most common signs of colorectal cancer in young people, according to a study in JAMA Network Open
Despite doctors removing Libbie’s large tumor, in February 2021 they discovered multiple smaller tumors that were causing a blockage of the small intestine, a fatal complication.
She was quickly transferred to the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
The rest of her large intestine was removed and she had to have an ileostomy, an opening in the abdomen that allows stool to leave the body through the small intestine.
Libbie then underwent two years of immunotherapy treatment, which she said “worked wonderfully.”
The high school student lived for two years without any evidence of her illness, but when she was 17, in 2023, the disease returned and she had to undergo chemotherapy again, leaving her seriously ill and unable to walk.
Once again, Libbie’s mother insisted that her daughter be tested for another condition: dihydropyridine dehydrogenase (DPD) deficiency.
DPD is an enzyme that helps the body process chemotherapy. Without DPD, chemotherapy levels in the body can become dangerously high.
Libbie’s doctors halved her chemo doses and her symptoms disappeared.
Doctors have recommended Libbie for a clinical trial at the University of Minnesota using CRISPR technology, which could personalize treatment for Libbie.
If treatment is successful, she may not need further treatment for her disease.
However, she will need to be closely monitored because of her predisposition to cancer.
Libbie told TODAY: “I always find the positive side. Sometimes it’s really hard.”
But she said the support she receives from her family, friends and community is comforting.
She added: “It’s nice to know you’re not fighting alone. No matter what happens, God has a plan for me. I can help someone else in the future.
“Without cancer, I don’t think I would be who I am today. I live every day as if it were my last, and you never know what’s going to happen. I’ve been able to see the bright side.”
