Marla Hoffman is deputy managing editor of the Sun Journal and Western Maine newspapers.

Back in 1998, it was hard to find a young actor hotter than James Van Der Beek.

Even though I didn’t care for “Dawson’s Creek,” as a high-schooler, I couldn’t not know its star’s name. Van Der Beek was everywhere.

When I heard he died this month at age 48 from colorectal cancer, I felt shocked, then sad. And as more information came out about his illness, I felt alarmed.

One stat in particular stood out: colorectal cancer is the top cancer killer of Americans younger than 50.

At 42, my personal connections to this illness is too close for comfort. In 2001, my grandfather Hal, my mom’s dad, died after several years battling colon cancer. Almost 20 years later, it was my Uncle Jim, my mom’s brother, with the same illness.

Meanwhile, within a couple years of each other back in the mid-aughts, both my mother and I were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. I was just 23.

At the time, knowing how my grandfather died, a UC diagnosis was frightening. Mom and I had both been sick for a couple years; going to a doctor for help, getting a colonoscopy and then treatment, became imperative.

Colonoscopies themselves can be a bit scary. The prep … ugh, is all I’ll say. But the procedure itself is super easy. In most cases, you’re put to sleep and you don’t feel a thing. You wake up a little groggy and hungry but, hey, you get a day off of work.

If you’re one of the unlucky ones and you get a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s Disease, irritable bowl disease, or even one of the at least six types of colorectal cancers, your doctors will work with you on a treatment plan.

According to cancercenter.com, the most common type of colorectal cancer is adenocarcinoma. “Adenocarcinomas of the colon and rectum make up 95% of all colorectal cancer cases. In the gastrointestinal tract, rectal and colon adenocarcinomas develop in the cells of the lining inside the large intestine.” Often, adenocarcinomas start as a polyp, which could develop into cancer, but are often removed during a colonoscopy.

For me, and about one in 24 men and one in 26 women, having ulcerative colitis and my family history puts me at a much higher risk for developing colorectal cancer in my lifetime.

According to the National Cancer Institute, there were about 154,270 new colorectal cancer cases in 2025 alone, and about 52,900 people died from it last year.

The American Cancer Society says one in five people diagnosed with colorectal cancer are now under the age of 55. According to the National Library of Medicine, colorectal cancer remains the third leading cause of cancer-related fatalities — that’s despite early diagnosis and treatment progress.

If those stats scare you, know that they scared me, too.

I had my seventh colonoscopy last fall. It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing for some people, but these screenings save lives. Every gastroenterologist that I’ve spoken to in the past 20 years has told me the same thing: Don’t skip your screenings. Be vigilant.

People who wait, they say, are at risk of the cancer spreading and making you much, much sicker. If it can be caught early, there are more options for intervention and better chances of preventing spread.

About 10 years ago, my husband had a friend who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. For Al, the diagnosis came too late — the cancer was stage four (the most advanced stage) by the time the doctor’s found it. In less than a year, his wife and son were saying their goodbyes.

The statistics circulating in the wake of Van Der Beek’s death are real. They are no exaggeration. And, yes, it is scary.

The reason for the dramatic rise in colorectal cancer diagnoses and deaths in young people is still being investigated. Available research says that obesity, lack of physical activity, diets high in red or processed meat and low in fruits and vegetables, smoking, heavy alcohol use, having inflammatory bowl disease or family history of colorectal cancer are all significant risk factors.

The best we can do is work on our health, pay closer attention to what we put in our bodies, and treat our bodies with more care generally.

In recognition of Colorectal Cancer Awareness month in March, and in honor of James, Hal, Jim and Al, consider calling your doctor’s office about getting screened.

One phone call could save your life.