‘Shame and stigma’: News of Catherine O’Hara’s rectal cancer brings hope for more awareness

Catherine O'Hara arrives on the red carpet for the TIFF Tribute Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sunday, September 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor

A British Columbia woman treated for colorectal cancer says she hopes news that Canadian acting legend Catherine O’Hara had rectal cancer when she died will help more people realize how common the cancer is and open up more conversations about it.

Mary De Vera is nearing her 10-year anniversary of being diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2016 and says she has watched advocacy organizations in Canada and the U.S. use O’Hara’s death as an opening to raise awareness about colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer in Canada.

“It’s a cancer below the waist and any time you have that, there is that shame and stigma and taboo. I remember when I was diagnosed, I was 36, and I immediately felt like, ‘Oh my gosh, of all the cancers, why did I have to have one that’s, you know, embarrassing?” she said.

“So I think now there’s that opening to that conversation on things that are not normally talked about.”

A Los Angeles County death certificate issued Monday lists a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery in the lungs, as the immediate cause of O’Hara’s death on Jan. 30 at age 71. Rectal cancer was listed as the long-term cause.

• IN PICTURES: Catherine O’Hara: Remembering the iconic Canadian-born actor

How common is colorectal cancer?

Colorectal Cancer Canada says colorectal cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed cancer in Canada, affecting approximately 25,200 Canadians in 2024.

The majority of cases occur in adults 50 or older but the organization says since the early 2000s, the incidence rate of colorectal cancer among young adults is on the rise in many countries, including Canada.

A statement from BC Cancer says colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Canada and in 2026, an estimated 3,515 people in B.C. will be newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

The federal government says one in 14 men and one in 18 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime.

BC Cancer says screening can save lives by detecting non-cancerous polyps and cancer early. The organization says if colon cancer is detected at its earliest stage, the chance of survival is more than 90 per cent.

Detection and screening?

Health Canada says 47 per cent of colorectal cancer cases are diagnosed early in their development, at Stage 1 and 2.

The Canadian Cancer Society says colorectal cancer may not cause any signs or symptoms in its early stages because the cancer is very small, but symptoms can start appearing once a tumour grows into surrounding tissues and organs.

The society says signs and symptoms are similar to other health conditions but can include bleeding from the rectum, fatigue and weakness, weight loss or breathing problems.

“Regardless of your age, talk to a health-care provider if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms: blood in your stool (either bright red, very dark, black or tarry looking), abdominal pain (frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness or cramps), change in bowel habits or unexplained weight loss,” BC Cancer says in its statement.

Health Canada recommends screening for colorectal cancer for average-risk adults aged 50 to 74 years.

Dr. Ted McAlister, a surgical oncologist at the William Osler Health System, says a fecal immunochemical test is done every two years to test stool to see if there’s any hidden blood in it.

“If that comes back positive, then you go for a colonoscopy to see if there’s anything actually there,” he said.

People with symptoms might have them investigated with a colonoscopy, he said.

“It’s very treatable as long as it’s early. Early colorectal cancer is usually treated with surgery and it’s cured most of the time if it’s in that situation,” McAlister said.

“Then the more advanced it is, the more likely you are to need other treatments like chemotherapy and for rectal cancer radiation therapy.”

Who is at increased risk?

Colorectal Cancer Canada says you may be at a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer if you have:

- signs or symptoms of colorectal cancer;

- had colorectal cancer or polyps before;

- a family history of colorectal cancer in a parent, sibling or child;

- an inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis; or

- an inherited cancer syndrome such as Lynch syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis

---

De Vera is an epidemiologist and is an associate professor in the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of British Columbia.

Since finishing treatment, her research has focused on colorectal cancer and looking at its epidemiology in younger adults as well as the longer-term effects of having cancer as a young adult.

She recently led a study that found young women diagnosed with colorectal cancer have higher risk of adverse sexual health outcomes including early menopause, as well as pelvic infections, painful intercourse and endometriosis.

“I really want to just get people talking on something that, again, nobody really feels comfortable talking about,” she said.

“But it’s in the talking that we can hopefully prevent the disease and then, for those that are suffering in isolation and loneliness, when they see people sharing it makes the journey a little less lonely for them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2026.

Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press