Montana woman touts colonoscopies after surviving cancer [Video]

BILLINGS — In 2021, the recommended age for getting your first colonoscopy dropped from 50 to 45 years old. While it’s a topic many shy away from discussing, one Billings woman is sharing her story on her battle with colorectal cancer in hopes of spreading more awareness on the importance of getting screened.

Jennifer Eliason had no family history of colon cancer and being an active person, she disregarded the symptoms she faced.

“Nobody wants to talk about the symptoms of colon cancer. Nobody talks about having rectal bleeding, or diarrhea, or these different things,” Eliason said on Thursday. “I had had some bleeding that I just dismissed as hemorrhoids and honestly just ignored that for about a year.”

Eliason is a busy woman. As a mother to four boys and a March of Dimes employee, it was easy to push the bleeding to the back of her mind.

But …