‘My college fun came back to bite me in the butt’: Woman diagnosed with anal cancer linked to sexually transmitted HPV reveals how ‘laughing’ at her diagnosis helped her
- Julia DeVillers, from New Albany, Ohio, had been suffering from anal bleeding
- Doctors initially diagnosed it as a hemorrhoid but later discovered it was a tumor
- The author underwent treatment and proudly tackled each day with humor
A woman who was diagnosed with anal cancer linked to sexually transmitted HPV has revealed how ‘laughing’ at her diagnosis helped her come to terms with it.
Julia DeVillers, from New Albany, Ohio, had been suffering from anal bleeding and discomfort which was dismissed by a doctor as ‘harmless’ and diagnosed as a hemorrhoid.
She underwent an outpatient procedure to remove it the following week but, when she woke up, was told that it was actually a cancerous tumor.
Julia, who is a children’s book author, has since undergone treatment and – despite spending five weeks in intensive care – tackled each day with humor.
Julia DeVillers, from New Albany, Ohio, had been suffering from anal bleeding and discomfort which was dismissed by a doctor as ‘harmless’ and diagnosed as a hemorrhoid
Julia, who is a children’s book author, has since undergone treatment and – despite spending five weeks in intensive care – tackled each day with humor
In May 2022, Julia received the diagnosis that she had anal cancer which is linked to sexually transmitted HPV with risk factors including ‘multiple sexual partners.’
In an essay for Newsweek, she wrote: ‘Who knew my college fun would come back to bite me in the butt? Literally…
‘I didn’t want to tell people I had anal cancer. Cancer, alone was a traumatic conversation. Add anal – such a loaded word.’
But Julia soon found that the diagnosis and intensive treatment was easier to process with humor.
She said that her colleagues, who are writers and entertainers, soon bought into the idea too – before presenting her with a homemade membership card for ‘Anal Cancer of the Month Club.’
They gave her light-hearted gifts including a butt-shaped mug, a science museum pillow of Uranus and socks emblazoned with the words ‘I’m a badass’ – to name just a few.
Meanwhile, Julia underwent five days a week of chemotherapy by pill with two IV doses interspersed as well as daily radiation for six weeks.
She struggled with the side effects that included ‘crushing fatigue’ and ‘relentless stomach issues.’
Julia underwent five days a week of chemotherapy by pill with two IV doses interspersed as well as daily radiation for six weeks
Julia said things took a turn for the worst after her second round of IV chemo.
She said: ‘Everything that had been put into me poured out in a radioactive neon green. I lost 30 pounds in a week.’
What is anal cancer?
Anal cancer is an uncommon type of cancer that occurs in the anal canal which effects an estimated 8,000 in the US every year.
Most people are treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.
Symptoms of anal cancer include:
- Bleeding from the anus or rectum
- Pain in the area of the anus
- A mass or growth in the anal canal
- Anal itching
Sources: Mayo Clinic
And she then spent 37 days in the intensive care unit at the cancer hospital.
The writer revealed: ‘I don’t remember much: The incessant beep beep of the machine feeding me fentanyl, oxy, and nutrients, my husband and mom taking turns sleeping in the chair next to me, the doctors’ voices getting increasingly somber.
‘I was aware my body was shutting down. For several days, I couldn’t open my eyes but I saw a tunnel of darkness with two pinpricks of bright light. I don’t know if that’s the tunnel people speak about, but I felt the darkness cut so deep into me, like the deepest depression.
‘My kids were called to come back to town. Hospice was called. The doctors told my family they’d know in 48 hours which way things would go. I had no idea what was happening around me.’
Julia eventually came out of it and was sent home to continue treatment.
But, six months later, doctors revealed that her scans looked good and she had ‘achieved NED’ – no evidence of disease.
Julia is now helping raise awareness for anal cancer alongside the HPV Cancers Alliance in a bid to break down the stigma.
She concluded: ‘I didn’t want to be a “face of ass cancer,” but here we are.’
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