Sarah DeBord, cancer patient and activist, dies at 43

Sarah DeBord didn't mind talking about poop, cancer or dying, and she was unconcerned about whether the language on her blog would be offensive to some readers.

What the Rosemount mother of two boys could not abide was keeping quiet when there was something important to say. And she had much to say about colon cancer before she died from it last month, at 43. Here's what she wanted to tell you:

While most colon cancer is found in people over 50, in the past two decades the rate of new cases has risen fastest in people ages 20 to 49. This has not permeated the minds of all doctors or insurers. So if you're young and showing signs of colon cancer, pay close attention to your body (and your poo) and don't automatically assume the doctor is right if he says a colonoscopy is unneeded because the blood in your stool is probably from hemorrhoids.

And if you are undergoing treatment for cancer, at any age, DeBord wanted to tell you that seeking palliative care is not a sign of giving up. Palliative care is about easing the pain and distress from deadly chronic conditions by treating the whole patient.

"I'm being very graphic and open about the details here because I think it makes an important point," DeBord wrote in a December 2011 post titled "Another Empty Toilet Paper Roll," weaving four of the five top symptoms of colon cancer into a funny, relatable narrative. "We should know our skin, we should know our breasts (or man boobs) and we should know our poop."

Born in South Carolina and raised in California, DeBord spent her 20s and early 30s as a probation officer, Hollywood location scout and stay-at-home mom, unaware of the cancer in her sigmoid colon. Her diagnosis at age 34 led to a communications job with the Colon Cancer Coalition in Edina, a moderator role with online patient community Colontown, and a writing gig with CURE magazine.

By the time she died on July 22, DeBord had published 248 posts on her blog, coloncancerchick.com, chronicling her transformation from a woman concerned about bikini waxes and plucking eyebrows to a nationally known advocate for a deadly disease that is avoidable if caught early. Hers was not caught early.

DeBord got the devastating news that she had Stage III colon cancer after the birth of her second child. Surgeons removed a section of her colon plus 20 lymph nodes in late 2011, but the cancer spread to her lungs and elsewhere, making it Stage IV.

Statistics show that people whose colon cancer has spread to "distant" parts of the body have a 14% chance of surviving five years. DeBord survived nearly nine years, getting 173 doses of chemotherapy and radiation as she waited for a cure, spread her message, and watched her sons hit milestones like the first day of kindergarten.

"She was going to write a whole book on parenting with cancer," said Doug Dallmann, a rectal cancer survivor who began a long-distance relationship with DeBord in 2016, after she was divorced. "Her big mantra was: Parent from where you are. Even if you are in an infusion chair."

Anna Dahlgren had successful surgery for Stage I colon cancer after being diagnosed at age 33, but it was DeBord who showed her she could channel it into something positive. Today she volunteers for the Colon Cancer Coalition.

"It's very traumatic finding out you have cancer when you are young," said Dahlgren, 39, of Duluth. "I feel like she showed me my purpose in life."

A small private service for DeBord has been held. A larger memorial will be announced later, pending pandemic-related restrictions. DeBord is survived by her parents, siblings, and her sons, ages 12 and 9.

Joe Carlson • 612-673-4779