PEORIA, Ill. (WCIA) — Colonoscopies have usually been reserved for people older than 50, but one teenager in Illinois is bucking the norm. He said everyone else should too, especially for those who have any risk factors.

For Jaxson Brown, it was the death of his father. Michael Brown was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer when he was just 26. Jaxson’s mom, Angie, has been preparing her son to get tested, and now he is trying to get rid of the fear around screening.

“We want to take the stigma around it, right?” Angie said. “I mean, nobody really wants to go and get it done.”

Angie Brown’s husband Michael was diagnosed with colon cancer when he was 26. He went into remission, but it came back as stage 4, and he died. This meant her son Jaxson would have to start colonoscopies at a young age.

“We wanted to make sure that it was something that when they did get to that age, it wasn’t scary for them, that it was something that just seemed like a normal part of life,” Angie said.

Angie started preparing her son early for what was ahead.

“I first started understanding it, I guess, when I probably got into middle school,” Jaxson said.

And last year was the first time he got the procedure.

“I remembered seeing it come up on the calendar and I knew it was going to have to happen,” Jaxson said.

He also said he wasn’t nervous for the test, which is something his mom is proud of.

“It was just very matter of fact. This is something that we need to do,” Angie said. “This is something to keep you safe. It’s not likely that you’ll have colon cancer, but if you do, then this is what is needed to make it so that you can get treated.”

Now, during National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Jaxson is sharing his experience to help get others tested, spreading the message “the earlier, the better.”

“I’ve heard of some people being diagnosed younger,” Jaxson said. “And right now, the age used to be 50, now it’s 45 to get colonoscopies and that’s the minimum. If they have any symptoms, they should definitely be going in and getting their colonoscopy.”

OSF shared some common colon cancer signs to look out for, including bleeding in your stool, abdominal pain and constipation. There are also three upcoming events where people can get free take-home colon cancer screening tests at the following locations:

• Jacksonville Memorial Hospital on March 11
• The Springfield Clinic on March 13
• The Crossing Healthcare Drive-Thru in Decatur on March 14