Rob “the Rabbit” Pitts, star of Netflix’s car renovation reality series Tex Mex Motors, died on Sunday at age 45 from stomach cancer.
Before his death, he created a “This is Goodbye” video—uploaded to YouTube, where it has over 1.9 million views—about his symptoms, urging fans to pay attention to their bodies’ warning signs.
Pitts’ symptoms started last year after an autor show in Las Vegas, he wrote in the video, a series of images set to music overlaid with text. “I was losing weight,” he explained. Then, during filming of season 2 of Tex Mex Motors, he lost his appetite and had acid reflux-like symptoms.
While he went to urgent care a few times to treat his symptoms, Pitts said, they “didn’t get to the root of the problem.” In March, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Who gets stomach cancer?
Stomach cancer accounts for about 1.5% of all new cancers diagnosed in the U.S. every year, according to the American Cancer Society.
As you age, your risk for diagnosis increases. Around 60% of those diagnosed with stomach cancer each year are 65 or older.
Some people are at greater risk just by belonging to certain demographic groups—adults older than 45, men, and Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders tend to be at more risk for developing stomach cancer.
While it is not as common as breast, prostate, and lung cancers—the leading cancers in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute—the American Cancer Society still calls this one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally.
What are the signs of stomach cancer?
According to the American Cancer Society, early-stage stomach cancer rarely causes symptoms, making stages 1, 2, and 3 difficult to diagnose. There are several signs you can look out for, though:
- Poor appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Abdominal (belly) pain or vague discomfort in the abdomen, usually above the navel
- Feeling full after eating only a small meal
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Nausea
- Vomiting, with or without blood
- Swelling or fluid build-up in the abdomen
- Blood in the stool, which might make the stool look dark brown or black
- Feeling tired or weak, as a result of having too few red blood cells (anemia)
- Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice), if the cancer spreads to the liver
Can you prevent stomach cancer?
While there is no surefire way to prevent stomach cancer, there are several lifestyle behaviors you can adopt to lower your risk not only of stomach cancer but other cancers too, according to the American Cancer Society:
- Get to and stay at a healthy weight
- Get regular physical activity
- Eat a diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (citrus fruits can be especially helpful) and whole grains
- Avoid or limit red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and highly processed foods
- Avoid or limit alcohol consumption
Since stomach cancer is not common in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society, routine screening is not common practice either—never for those of average risk and only sometimes for people who are of increased risk due to factors such as family history of stomach cancer or different precancerous changes in the stomach. Talk to your doctor about whether screening is right for you or not.
When to see a doctor
The American Cancer Society points out that most stomach cancer symptoms are more likely to be caused by other issues, such as a viral infection or an ulcer.
The symptoms could also be caused by other types of cancer. The American Cancer Society urges people with any of the symptoms mentioned to see a doctor if they get worse or don’t go away.
Your doctor can run a series of tests and scans to see what the problem is, and rule out any potentially serious conditions. An upper endoscopy is the most common test to check for stomach cancer.
Most importantly, follow the parting bit of advice that Pitts so poignantly offered in his video: “If your body is telling you something is wrong, don’t stop until you figure it out. Ask questions and get answers.”
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