Melody Morgan of Western Tennessee was shocked to learn she has stage 4 colorectal cancer.
I have stage 4 cancer at 44. I wish I hadn’t ignored these early warning signs
Story by Melody Morgan, as told to Newsweek
Key takeaways
- Diagnosis & Symptoms: Diagnosed in 2026 with stage 4 colon cancer, Melody initially ignored signs like blood in stool, abdominal pain, fatigue, and unexplained weight loss, attributing them to everyday life.
- Faith & Support: Her faith, family, and church community provided emotional and practical support, helping her navigate hospital stays and treatment.
- Awareness & Advocacy: She shares her story on TikTok to raise awareness that colon cancer is rising among young people, emphasizing the importance of early detection through colonoscopies.
Melody Morgan is a 44-year-old seamstress and single mom to an 11-year-old son in Western Tennessee. In 2026, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and began sharing her story on TikTok. As colon cancer rates continue to skyrocket among young people, Morgan spoke with Newsweek about what she wants people to learn from her experience, and how her faith and family have helped her through it all.
Gracious. This is a thing that I say when I’m overwhelmed or upset or scared or in awe of God’s kindness to me, in the way that He uses my circumstance—in this case stage 4 colon cancer—for my good and for His glory.
The first night in the emergency room was a blur, and one of those nights where you experience the full spectrum of emotions. I thought I was going in to get some IV fluids for a pesky stomach bug that wouldn’t go away. A friend had to practically drag me there, because I don’t have time to go to the ER. Who does? She sat with me while I got the IVs and we thought, “We’ll be out of here in a couple of hours, feeling better!”
She sat with me while they did some bloodwork, which I was hesitant to do, because I don’t have health insurance. She sat with me while a doctor said, “There’s something bigger going on here. We need to do an abdominal CAT scan.” They did it, and that’s when they saw the mass in my colon and a mass in my liver. I was dehydrated and anemic; I had all these problems I had been pushing through. Problems that I had just chalked up to “middle age” and “being tired,” because who isn’t? My friend sat with me as we MarcoPolo’d her husband to keep him updated—at the beginning of the evening it was all laughter and hot goss. By the end it was tears and, “I might have cancer.”
They gave me a blood transfusion right away and kept me in the hospital for three days. It was zero to 60, right there. It was a shock. It was three days of letting my church know, letting my small group know, feeling God’s comfort, and knowing people were praying for me and caring for my family in tangible ways. Church members and family members brought me food and watched my son and…loved me…in ways that my pride previously would not have allowed. It was three days of rolling around in the gradations of “I might be fine” to “I might die, and what will happen to my son?”
I had to put my “God is sovereign” money where my mouth was.
A colonoscopy confirmed I had cancer. Later the doctor scheduled a liver biopsy to confirm that the mass in my liver was indeed metastasized cancer. I was shocked. I’m very active and I’ve always been healthy. Looking back, I can see that I had some symptoms, but they were all things that were easy to brush off as something minor. Now, in hindsight, I see that I ignored a lot of things. But they didn’t interfere with my day-to-day life. I believed what I wanted to believe, because when you’re a self-employed single mother, you’re never “off the clock.”
Colon cancer is the cancer of the young; more young people are getting colon cancer and dying from it, and the reason is they are ignoring their symptoms. Caught early, colon cancer is one of the easiest cancers to treat. That’s one of the reasons I started talking about this on TikTok. I’m looking at the possibility that I could die. Had I gone in for a colonoscopy even six months before I did, I could have caught my cancer at stage 2 or stage 3, which is much easier to treat, and also doesn’t have the long-term consequences of stage 4 cancer.
The No. 1 symptom I ignored (which is horrifying to write about in Newsweek—gracious!) was blood in my stool. It’s easy to say, “Oh, it’s hemorrhoids, or oh, it was something I ate.” I’ve been telling people, “You should not be actively bleeding. If you see blood in your stool, go to the doctor.” For me, I would be sitting on the toilet and there would be blood in my stool, and I would look it up on my phone: “What causes blood in the stool?” And the internet would tell me, “Either you have colon cancer or you have hemorrhoids.” I didn’t want to have colon cancer. So I would tell myself, “Oh, it’s hemorrhoids,” and I would get on with my day. And I think a lot of people do that.
Another symptom I had was abdominal pain, but it wasn’t bad. I just thought, “Oh, my stomach hurts from time to time in that same spot.” Fatigue is another symptom, but that one’s also difficult because everybody’s tired, everybody works hard. The last symptom I had was unexplained weight loss. I, like most American women, have been trying to lose weight and over the past year, it was really easy to do so. I thought, “Well, look at me, I’m doing super.” Now I see that losing weight shouldn’t have been so easy.
Morgan, seen here with one of her dogs, began sharing her story on social media to educate others about the early warning signs of colorectal cancer.
Looking back at all these things together, I think, “Gracious, how did I miss all this?” But I know how I missed it: I was busy. This diagnosis has helped me slow down a little bit (OK, a lot…I’m fighting cancer) and appreciate my son, my friends, my family and my church. I was talking with my sister recently and said, “If I die today, what would my son remember about me? It would be, ‘My mom worked, my mom was out in the garden, my mom was busy, busy, busy.’” And I thought, I need to sit down and play Uno with him. I need to focus more of my attention on him. In a way, this diagnosis has given me a restart.
How can a person learn to be grateful for a cancer diagnosis? It’s hard, but only possible because of the Lord.
My church family has blessed me so much. They have brought meals, they have mowed my grass—you name it, they’ve done it. It’s humbling to look outside and see a random kid mowing your lawn and look upstairs and have a random church lady scrubbing your bathroom. I’m grateful. And receiving that love and care from my church family is also a gift that I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t have cancer. Having cancer has changed me mentally and emotionally, and it’s helped me to be kinder and gentler toward people. And I’m grateful for the common grace of medication, and doctors who know things.
So far, I’ve done six rounds of chemotherapy. The goal was to try to shrink the softball-sized tumor on my liver enough for surgery, then do another round of chemotherapy to make sure the cancer is gone. I started off strong, but with these last two treatments, I’ve been really sick. My doctor said, “You know what?
The cancer is being killed by the chemo, but the chemo is also killing you, so we’re going to take a break.” So, I have the month of October off from treatment, and then I’ll do a PET scan to see if I’m ready for surgery. The surgery would remove the tumor from my liver as well as the top part of my colon, where the other tumor is located.
My son has been a great motivator. Chemo is brutal, and the thought of this major surgery is terrifying, but my son is 11 and I’m not done raising him and that has been a motivator to get up and fight. Sitting down and explaining to him, “Mom has cancer,” is one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. And I’ve done some tough things.
An 11-year-old doesn’t understand everything, but they understand the big, heavy words. He formed this idea in his brain that if I die, life will simply go on like normal for him. “I’ll live in this house all by myself and mow the grass and take care of the dogs and make the spaghetti.” One day he said, “Mom, you need to tell me how to write a check.”
And I said, “Gracious, what do you need to write a check for?” And he said, “So if you die, I can pay the bills.” That’s the gut-wrenching, hard part. But there’s also something sweet about seeing my son lean into, “I’m going to be OK, too.” He’s a tough kid and I love him so much. I want to be here for him.
I’m grateful that God is using my cancer to encourage others. Even in suffering, I want to be faithful, and be salt and light to the people in my life. Only a good God could take something like cancer, which is evidence of sin and death in the world, and use it for good.
I’m typically a very positive, cheerful person, but my attitude toward this diagnosis is a reflection of my faith. My good. His glory. I very strongly believe that God is in control, and because of that I can rest and have peace, even with cancer.
All views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
Mom shares early warning signs of colon cancer after stage 4 diagnosis at 44 | Watch
Melody Morgan’s Stage 4 Colon Cancer Journey
Melody Morgan, a 44‑year‑old seamstress and single mother from Western Tennessee, was diagnosed in 2026 with stage 4 colon cancer and has shared her story widely on social media and in interviews, highlighting both the medical and emotional realities of her illness Yahoo.
Diagnosis and Early Symptoms
Morgan’s journey began when she went to the emergency room for what she thought was a stomach bug. After bloodwork and an abdominal CT scan, doctors discovered a mass in her colon and a mass in her liver, indicating metastatic disease Yahoo. She had been experiencing fatigue, dehydration, and anemia, which she initially attributed to “middle age” and general tiredness Yahoo. A colonoscopy confirmed the cancer, and a liver biopsy confirmed metastasis Yahoo.
She has said that early warning signs she noticed included persistent digestive issues, weakness, and unexplained fatigue 
Medical and Treatment Context
According to her TikTok updates, stage 4 colon cancer often involves chemotherapy regimens such as FOLFOX, a combination of drugs used to target and shrink cancer 
Personal and Spiritual Impact
Morgan has described her experience as a mix of “zero to 60” shock, gratitude for community support, and a deep reliance on her faith. She has spoken about “gracious” as a guiding word during overwhelming moments, trusting that her circumstances are being used “for my good and for His glory” Yahoo. Church members, friends, and family provided meals, childcare, and emotional support Yahoo.
Community Support
A GoFundMe campaign, “The MELathon: Blessing Melody in Her Cancer Battle,” has been launched to help cover medical costs and living expenses during her treatment and recovery 
Key Takeaways
- Awareness matters: She emphasizes that early symptoms should not be ignored Yahoo+1.
- Support systems are vital: Faith communities and friends have been instrumental in her care Yahoo.
- Treatment is complex: Stage 4 colon cancer often requires aggressive chemotherapy and long-term management
- Resilience through faith: Morgan’s spiritual outlook has been a source of strength Yahoo+1.
- For more, her story on TikTok under the handle @melodytennessee
Research shows early‑onset cancer (under age 50) is rising globally due to factors like increasing obesity, lifestyle changes, environmental exposures, and earlier-life risks; for example, colorectal cancer in young adults has been rising nearly 2% per year since the mid‑1990s.
Overview of the Trend
- Multiple studies confirm a global increase in early‑onset cancers, affecting people under 50 across many countries.
Anglia Ruskin University – ARU
- At least 14 cancer types have shown rising incidence in younger adults between 2010 and 2019.
Harvard University
- Forecasts predict early‑onset cancer cases could rise over 12% by 2050 if trends continue.
Which Cancers Are Increasing?
Common cancers rising in younger adults include:
- Colorectal (one of the steepest increases)
Columbia University
- Breast (most common in adults under 40)
- Uterine, kidney, pancreatic, stomach, melanoma, thyroid, and others.
Key Factors Driving the Increase
1. Obesity and Metabolic Changes
- Excess body weight is now the second biggest preventable cause of cancer after smoking.
- Obesity is occurring earlier in life, exposing younger generations to long-term hormonal and inflammatory effects.
2. Lifestyle Shifts Across Generations
Researchers describe a “birth‑cohort effect”: people born in the 1990s have much higher early-life cancer risk than those born in the 1950s.
- Diet changes (more processed foods, less fiber)
- Sedentary lifestyles
- Increased alcohol consumption
- Poor sleep patterns
These early-life exposures may have cumulative effects.
3. Environmental Exposures
Experts suspect widespread environmental changes may contribute:
- Pollutants
- Endocrine‑disrupting chemicals
- Changes in the microbiome (gut bacteria)
These factors are still under investigation.
4. Earlier and Better Detection
Improved screening (e.g., colorectal screening age lowered from 50 to 45) has increased detection rates.
However, this does not fully explain the rise, because many cancers in young adults are being found at more advanced stages, indicating a true increase in occurrence. 
5. Possible Genetic and Biological Factors
While genetics alone cannot explain the rapid rise, researchers are studying:
- Genetic predispositions
- Interactions between genes and modern environments
- Microbiome changes
What Can Reduce Risk?
Experts emphasize:
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Eating a high‑fiber, minimally processed diet
- Exercising regularly
- Limiting alcohol
- Avoiding smoking
- Getting recommended screenings (especially colorectal screening starting at 45)
Summary
The rise in cancer among young people is real, accelerating, and driven by a combination of lifestyle, environmental, metabolic, and possibly biological factors, with obesity and early‑life exposures playing major roles.
This 13-Year-Old’s Audition Is IMPOSSIBLE To Forget
Oct 19, 2026 #AGT #GotTalent #BGT
Evie Clair | America’s Got Talent 2107 Wiki | Fandom Evie Clair was 13 years old when she auditioned for AGT. At the time, her dad was struggling with cancer and was given a 5% chance to live. The song she chose was dedicated to her dad and his continued fight. Her performance left everyone speechless.
Which song did Evie Clair sing audition of AGT – Search Videos
Evie Clair sang Christina Perri’s “Arms” for her America’s Got Talent Season 12 audition
During her first appearance in 2017 at age 13, Evie chose “Arms” as a heartfelt tribute to her father, Amos Abplanalp, who was battling stage four colon cancer at the time, She explained that she would sing it for him to give him comfort and strength during difficult days. Her performance was deeply emotional, earning a standing ovation and “Yes” votes from all four judges — Howie Mandel, Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Simon Cowell 
The song, originally written by Christina Perri, is a folk‑pop ballad about love and support, which matched perfectly with Evie’s personal story. Simon Cowell praised her for delivering “the best vocal you’ve ever done” and for being “really unbelievably brave” for sharing her journey.
Evie’s audition was so moving that it became one of the most talked‑about moments of Season 12, and she went on to progress through the competition, though her father passed away just two weeks before her final performance 
Evelyn Clair Abplanalp, who is from Florence, Arizona, has been playing piano and singing since she was two. Evie got her public start as Molly in Anne at Hale Theater at eight years old. She performed the National Anthem at a Diamondbacks game, released two original pop singles, won in her category at the 2014 Arizona’s Rockin’ with Talent, and received one of three Judges Choice awards in a world-wide contest for her cover of “Glorious.” Her music video cover of “Take On Me” was awarded by the Arizona Interfaith Movement for promoting the Golden Rule and presented at the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
Evie recorded with Rob Gardner for the soundtrack of “Cokeville Miracle” and recorded as a soloist on an album produced by Arizona Golden Rule Educational Experiences called “Stars Shine Brightly.” Evie enjoyed opening for the world-famous Duttons and working with classmates to create a music video promoting kindness and forgiveness. Evie won a contest to sing the theme song for “Once I was a Beehive” and was able to perform it live for the official movie premier.
She also had an original song featured on the movie soundtrack. In 2015 and 2016 Evie Clair was invited to participate in the world wide Mormon.org special Christmas initiatives and has recently released her latest pop single “Love You One More Time” on iTunes and Amazon, Pandora, Spotify and other online music outlets. [1]
On September 7th, 2017, Evie’s father, Amos Abplanalp passed away due to Stage IV cancer. [2] Stairway to Heaven
Following her America’s Got Talent appearance, Evie has continued to build her music career. A year after her appearance on the show, she dropped her debut album Okay Day, which featured 10 songs, all with Evie as the sole or lead songwriter.
She has continued to build her profile through her socials, and she currently uploads several videos a week to her YouTube channel, which has 157k subscribers and 19 million total views. Her videos are a mix of musical content, including covers, her original music as well as quirky content such as her latest video, which features her singing Disney songs while cooking lasagna. If you would like to see more from Evie Clair, you can subscribe to her YouTube channel .
You can also visit her official website for more information.
5-Year-Old Girl Sings Heartbreaking Tribute to Dolly Parton A.I. #tribute #dollypartontribute
Why are so many young people getting cancer – Search Videos
Why Are More Younger People Getting Cancer? | U.S. News
Why Are More Younger People Getting Cancer? | U.S. News