Trigger warning: This article includes discussions about cancer, which may be upsetting for some readers.

A single mother battling stage four colon cancer has spoken out to raise awareness about the symptoms she initially dismissed.

Radwah Oda, a Texas-based mum trying to balance raising her child and holding down her office job, recently shared her heartbreaking story after receiving her diagnosis.

In a TikTok video that has now been viewed over 2.3 million times, she opened up about the warning signs she overlooked, mistakenly thinking they were minor health issues.

Her message to others is clear: “If you have any of these symptoms, please don’t be concerned, but go see a doctor.” She’s encouraging people to “advocate for themselves,” noting that many are initially told their symptoms aren’t cancer.

Radwah detailed five key symptoms in her video, urging others to pay attention to their bodies and seek medical advice when something feels off.

Changes in stool

One of the most common signs of colon cancer is changes in your bowel habits. And for Oda, it was the first subtle sign that she noticed.

Her stool appeared to be thin and pencil-like, but she brushed the symptom off as ‘constipation’.

She also noticed blood in her stool, but assumed that it was as a result of haemorrhoids.

However, in younger patients, a 2024 study highlighted blood in stool as one of two top ‘red flag’ symptoms.

She also noted feeling like her bowels were never fully empty.

In the video, she said: “Each time I would use the restroom, I would feel like I still needed to go. I would keep pushing and pushing but nothing would come out.”