Kentucky Woman’s Friends and Family Urge Early Colorectal Screening When Remembering Her Cancer Journey

Strong and hopeful throughout...she absolutely did. For someone so young, she handled the entire time and process to her death with grace, integrity, and courage. I remain proud of her to this day for the manner in which she handled life's absolute biggest challenge. -Tim Justice

Last week, I was scrolling Facebook when I saw my friend Pam Clark share a tribute to her very best friend, Brooke Justice of Florence, KY, who passed away from colorectal cancer in 2018. It stopped me.

Pam met Brooke at WKU in 2002 when they were both RAs in Minton Hall. They became fast friends and stayed that way into adulthood. At one point, they even lived together while Brooke completed her student teaching.

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and with the recent passing of James Van Der Beek from the same disease, it’s top of mind right now. Not just for people who have already been affected, but for a whole new group who are just starting to learn about it.

According to the Cancer Research Institute, in 2026, an estimated 158,850 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S., with 55,230 deaths expected. Even more concerning, it’s now the leading cause of cancer death among men under 50 and the second leading cause among women under 50.

I asked Pam if she and Brooke’s family would be open to me sharing Brooke’s story. Pam and Brooke’s dad, Tim Justice, were both gracious enough to talk with me. They described Brooke the same way again and again: strong, hopeful, and full of joy.

And it’s a story worth telling.

It’s the kind of legacy most of us can only hope to leave behind.

What was she like as a person beyond her diagnosis? How would you describe her to someone who never met her?
Pam: Brooke was JOY. She was bubbly, talkative, friendly, big laughs. She was determined and so sure of herself. She just seemed to be able to draw people in. I met her in college, and soon we were inseparable. We had so many adventures together. She was the sister I never had, and the aunt to my girls. If you have ever watched Grey’s Anatomy and they refer to each other as their person, that was us. She was my person, and I was her person.

Tim: Brooke was an intelligent, Headstrong, confident young lady that would be a leader as opposed to a follower. People would follow her by the way she presented herself. Made a wonderful school teacher for that reason...kids looked up to her.

When did she first start experiencing symptoms, and did anything about that surprise you?
Pam: Brooke had some health issues before her diagnosis. Sadly, her mother had passed very suddenly and unexpectedly right before Christmas of 2015. So many of her symptoms were placed in the stressed-out category of life. She had a lot on her plate with trying to settle her mom’s estate, grieve, and be there for her siblings.

Tim: I did not know about her not feeling well until early August of 2017. This got progressively worse, and then she went to doctors that suspected colon cancer. I went with her for the first time in September. I think of the doctor's appointment that advised/confirmed to her that she had colon cancer, and it was stage 4.

Did she ever talk about how she felt navigating colon cancer at such a young age?
Pam: She never spoke to me about navigating all this. Once she knew she wasn’t going to survive, she lived each day the best she could. We all made sure she had people around her. I lived here in Owensboro and would travel to Florence every Saturday to help out. Toward the end, she was living with her sister. Brooke knew her time was limited, so she would send Courtney and me on errands so we could get to know each other better. She made me promise to take care of Courtney, and Courtney promised to take care of me. She handled everything with such grace and dignity; I truly don’t know how she did it.

What were some of the biggest challenges she faced during treatment?
Pam: The surgeries. Because her diagnosis occurred when she was already stage 4 everything had spread, and she had to have at least 2 different procedures to deal with blockages, and parts of her colon was removed. The surgeries would set her back and I know it frustrated her. She would tell me not to come; she didn’t want me to see her like that.

Tim: I went with her to most (all) of her chemo treatments. We would talk and play gin rummy during her treatments. Of course, these treatments made her ill afterward, but she was always courageous and took these the very best she could.

How did she stay strong or hopeful through everything?
Pam: Brooke was just a strong person, period. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t take on. This diagnosis was just one more thing she did. She had her family around, her friends, and her faith. She just made the best of it, the best way she knew how; you just did it. I will never know how she managed to make us all fell better while dealing with the absolute worst thing in her life, but she did.

Tim: Strong and hopeful throughout...she absolutely did. For someone so young (35), she handled the entire time and process to her death with grace, integrity, and courage. I remain proud of her to this day for the manner in which she handled life's absolute biggest challenge.

What do you wish more people understood about colon cancer in younger adults?
Pam: The biggest thing is that it isn’t an over 50 thing, or an over 40 thing anymore. Things have shifted so much, and anyone can get it; you could be 20 or 90. The biggest thing is not to ignore it. Talk to your doctor. When she passed, I spoke with my doctor, and due to my family history of polyps with my grandmother, I got a colonoscopy. I was 35, I had another one at 40. Yes, the prep sucks, but the procedure itself is not bad. Don’t be embarrassed, one conversation and one test could literally save your life.

Tim: I wish young people now understood the importance of regular doctor checkups and especially colonoscopies. Statistics have shown an ever-increasing rate of colon cancer among younger people (food and environment have drastically changed in the last 40 years). The first sign of stomach issues or changes in going to the bathroom should be a sign to get checked out by the doctor.

What legacy do you feel she leaves behind?
Pam: Brooke leaves behind Love. We all loved her so much; she loved us so very much. Brooke leaves behind laughter; you can speak with anyone who knew her, and they will all say something about her laugh. You could recognize her from that laugh a mile away!

Brooke leaves behind knowledge. She didn’t know it at the time, but the impact her cancer had on all of us close to her caused us to share her story and what happened. We tell people to get checked, we share that we have had colonoscopies, and we annoy our spouses and loved ones to get colonoscopies.

Brooke leaves behind hope, hope that the children she taught as a middle school teacher remember her and what happened as they get older, the hope that more people will become aware of the signs of colon cancer, and the hope that all of us face our days as she did, with love, laughter, friends, family, and faith.

Tim: She has a legacy of being a well-respected teacher among the students she had. But to her Dad, her legacy remains the wonderful adult she became, who demonstrated how to handle the ultimate challenge of cancer with grace and dignity. I only hope that when my time comes, I can manage death as she did. I know I'll be thinking of her courage, hoping to get close to hers, when that time does come.

If she could speak to other young women right now, what do you think she would want them to know?
Pam: She would tell young women to stay in school and get that education, to make friends and laugh long and loud! To speak up for yourself. If there is something that seems wrong or off, don’t be dismissed. Demand the testing, demand a second opinion, keep searching for answers

Tim: As a teacher, she would tell them that life is short and to choose the path that will make them the happiest. This can be a career or as a Mom, and can be both. She would advise education as a key to their future, as it leads to other dreams in life.

What to Take Away from Brooke's Journey

The family was very clear what they want folks to take away from all of this. The 5-year relative survival rate for all colorectal cancer patients is approximately 64%. And early detection is key; screening allows for the removal of polyps before they become cancerous. Since 1992, colonoscopies have led to a decline in both cancer and deaths from colon cancer. Talk to your doctor about scheduling your colonoscopy or alternative solutions like Cologuard. If you have a family history of polyps or colon cancer, talk to them about getting your first colonoscopy before age 45.

As Pam said, the prep sucks but saving lives? Worth it.