Texas TikTok star with stage 4 colon cancer has a heartfelt message for young men
_fitted.png "Brice, left, and Randy Gonzalez have over 15 million followers on TikTok as the Enkyboys.")
After years of entertaining TikTok users as part of a father-son duo, Texas resident Randy Gonzalez has a request for young men following a life-changing diagnosis.
Gonzalez announced on the video-sharing app that he has stage 4 colon cancer and has been given five years to live.
Gonzalez and his son Brice post videos on TikTok as the Enkyboys and have racked up over 15 million followers. Back in 2021, the duo was in the news when then 6-year-old Brice landed a role in an Eva Longoria movie project.
Now, the family is trying to spread awareness about colon cancer.
The 34-year-old Pearland resident told his millions of fans that he was diagnosed with colon cancer six months ago. He told TikTok in an emotional five-minute video that questions regarding his weight loss prompted him to come forward to share awareness.
“I kept it to myself, and I felt like it was selfish because I didn’t want to tell everybody my business … but I feel like I could use my situation to give awareness for young men like myself,” Gonzalez shared in the video. “They say it’s very rare for a young guy like myself to catch colon cancer.”
Doctors told Gonzalez, who started a GoFundMe to pay for treatment, that he would potentially have five years to live with chemotherapy treatment.
“I want to help other people and start awareness for young men to get checked for colon cancer and get a colonoscopy,” he said.
Brice, who is often the star of the beloved videos that include dances, lip syncing and comedy bits, told KHOU11 that he believes God will take care of his father.
“When I found out he was sick, I didn’t like it, because I knew something was wrong with him,” Brice told the outlet. “But it’s going to be okay because it’s in God’s hands and he’s going to take care of us.”
Gonzalez urges those who believe they are too young to be diagnosed with the quick-spreading cancer to get checked out if they think something is wrong.
“How I figured it out, I was having problems with my upper abdomen, and I was always in pain,” he said in the TikTok. “Luckily my wife told me to go get a colonoscopy.”
According to the American Cancer Society, men have a 1 in 23 chance of developing colon cancer in their lifetime. Women have a 1 in 25 chance.
Although a majority of cases are in adults 50 and older, about 12% of colon cancer diagnoses are in those younger than 50, according to 2020 estimates.
As of April 14, the Gonzalez family has raised over $125,000 for the father’s treatment.
“A lot of people asking me, ‘Are you okay?’ And all I really need seriously is just prayers…. because God is good all the time,” Gonzalez said. “I just want to say thank you all so much for your love and support from me and my son. And if it wasn’t for y’all there wouldn’t be no Enkyboys.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 10:43 AM with the headline "Texas TikTok star with stage 4 colon cancer has a heartfelt message for young men."
