Jennifer Harmening and her closest friends — a crew of women from Oak Lawn, Mount Greenwood and the Beverly area — have been inseparable for more than 45 years. They met as kids, bonded tighter at Mother McAuley High School, and stuck together ever since.
On a recent girls’ trip to Florida, the group of 18 found themselves floating in a pool, talking about life, aging and, of all things, colonoscopies.
A few had gone in for the recommended screening. Most hadn’t.
So, they made a pact: for their 50th birthdays, they’d all schedule the test. No more excuses.
She kept the promise. On Oct. 10, the day before she turned 50, she went in for her colonoscopy.
“Thank God I did,” Harmening, of Oak Lawn, said.
Days later, the news came: Stage 1 colon cancer.
“I went a week after hearing the news where I could not even process it,” she said. “When you have cancer, immediately, it’s true — you do start thinking, ‘Why me?’ I did everything right. I stayed active. I ate healthy.”
Harmening had no symptoms. No family history. Still, doctors found a tumor early enough to act quickly. She underwent surgery to remove 12 inches of her large intestine. No chemo. No radiation. Just one massive wake-up call and a second chance.
“It’s very scary,” she said, “but also such a blessing that it was discovered when it was.”
Today, she’s fully recovered and cancer-free, thanks to the procedure performed last fall at Advocate Christ Medical Center.
“All of the doctors at Advocate Medical Group have been amazing,” she said.
Colorectal cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Between 2012 and 2021, diagnoses in adults under 50 rose by 2.4% per year.
“Jennifer is a great example of how screening and early detection can save lives,” said Dr. Rodney Thill, an Advocate Medical Group surgeon at Advocate Christ. “Don’t delay. Get screened.”
Thill said the screening is simple, but fear keeps people from booking it. Fear of the prep. Fear of discomfort. Fear of bad news.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “This is something you can do — and it could save your life.”
Current guidelines recommend that everyone begin colonoscopy screenings at age 45, even without a family history or risk factors. But Thill said people should talk to their doctors about what’s right for them. Advocate Health Care also offers a risk assessment tool online to help identify individual risks.
For Harmening’s group of longtime friends, the Florida poolside promise became even more urgent after her diagnosis. One by one, they followed through.
Now, nearly every woman in the group has completed a screening and they are encouraging their families to do the same.
“I’m so glad we talked about this,” Harmening said. “It’s not something people like to bring up, but we need to.”
