At 31, Edwin Ruiz was working full-time, staying active and living life. Cancer was the last thing on his mind. When stomach pain, declining energy and dangerously low iron levels appeared, the symptoms were easy to brush off. But a colonoscopy revealed an obstructing tumor linked to Lynch syndrome. “I woke up from the colonoscopy and the doctor said, ‘You have cancer,’” Edwin recalls. “In an instant, my world turned upside down.” Edwin represents an increasingly younger face of colorectal cancer. The rates of colorectal cancer are increasing in people under the age of 50. Symptoms in younger people are often dismissed, leading to delays in diagnosis. Edwin began treatment under the care of Pashtoon Kasi, M.D., M.S., medical director of GI medical oncology at City of Hope Orange County. Today, he is cancer free and back to doing what he loves — running, going to the gym and raising awareness. His story is a reminder that cancer can impact all of us. Listening to your body and se...