Journey to Diagnosis: Janaylon Wright’s Experience

At 29, Janaylon Wright started experiencing a troubling pain in her lower abdomen, prompting her to visit a nearby hospital emergency department in Philadelphia.

“They told me they didn’t see anything wrong and suggested I come back if it didn’t improve,” she recalled.

Despite the hospital’s reassurance, the pain persisted and worsened. So, she sought help at another emergency room.

“They speculated it might be related to ‘women’s issues’,” said Wright, who had a history of ovarian cysts. “So, they brushed it off as that.”

However, the pain intensified to the extent that she struggled to stand while working as a supervisor in the city’s Department of Public Health. Frustrated, she went to an urgent care facility, but they mentioned they didn’t have the proper resources to diagnose her. They advised her to go to a hospital instead.

At a third emergency department, which was quite crowded, she was placed in a hallway bed and never actually admitted to a room. Doctors there diagnosed her with uterine fibroids, suggesting that treating her constipation would resolve her abdominal pain.

“They assured me that treating the constipation would solve all my problems,” she said.

Wright tried various medications and home remedies without success, and nearly five months had gone by since she first felt the pain.

Things escalated when she started vomiting water, which can signal a severe bowel obstruction. Accompanied by her grandmother and aunt, she went to a fourth hospital, determined to get answers.

Doctors at Jefferson Einstein Medical Center conducted several tests and imaging studies to rule out other issues before confirming a blockage in her colon.

“I felt relieved to finally have someone acknowledge my situation,” Wright expressed. “It felt good to finally have a real conversation about my health.”

However, that relief was short-lived. After a colonoscopy, a biopsy revealed that the blockage was a tumor—specifically, adenocarcinoma, a common form of colorectal cancer. They informed Wright it was Stage 3, a serious diagnosis.

“That moment hit me hard; I broke down in tears in the car with my aunt,” she said. “Hearing ‘Stage 3’ makes you feel like there’s no hope.”

Against the odds, Wright fought through the diagnosis with support from her boyfriend and family. After surgery to remove the tumor and undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy, she was declared cancer-free. Now, four years later at age 33, she remains in remission.

Yet, she reflects on whether her cancer could have been detected earlier, potentially sparing her the pain and invasive treatment.

Could her youth have led doctors to dismiss the idea of cancer too soon? Did they too quickly attribute her pain to reproductive health issues simply because she was a woman? Was there an extra layer of bias due to her being a Black woman? These are the questions Wright contemplates as she thinks back on her experience.

“I believe these considerations aren’t just about me; they highlight systemic issues that can create gaps in care for many,” Wright said.