I developed stabbing stomach pain as a college football player. It turned out to be stage 4 colon cancer.

Khalil Smith was a freshman in college when he was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.

Courtesy of Khalil Smith

• A college athlete had stabbing stomach pains that wouldn't go away for months.
• After several days of tests, doctors discovered late-stage colon cancer.
• Immunotherapy worked better for him than traditional cancer treatment.

It felt like someone was stabbing me in the stomach.

At the time, there were plenty of halfway reasonable explanations why my stomach might be hurting.