Young, Healthy People Get Cancer Too

While in her late 20s, Jennifer Broxterman, a registered dietitian and sports nutritionist, began experiencing some gastric and menstrual symptoms that just did not feel right. She had an abnormal Pap smear at a visit with the gynecologist, but clinicians kept telling her that she was young and healthy.

Eventually, Broxteran — who is the founder and CEO of NutritonRX, an Ontario, Canada-based nutrition counseling service — had trouble keeping down any food. A colonoscopy revealed a tumor, and further biopsies and testing led to Broxterman’s diagnosis of stage 3 ovarian cancer at the age 34.

“I was getting judged and not being taken seriously because I didn’t look sick. I didn’t look like someone who had cancer,” Broxterman, who was also a competitive CrossFit athlete at the time of her diagnosis, said in an interview with CURE®.

READ MORE: You Don’t Look Sick

Instead of getting angry at the health system, Broxterman decided to take charge of her health information. She requested