March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Coming from a family with a colon cancer history and a father in remission for it, I'm definitely happy to advocate March as being colon cancer awareness month.  Each year, the American Cancer Society says 50,000 people die of colon cancer and it's the third leading cause of death among men and women.

There are typically no symptoms until it passes the early stages. Signs to watch out for are bowel changes, stomach pain, dark stools, tiredness, rectal bleeding or blood in the stools.  If you have a history of colon cancer, early screening is recommended.  Colon cancer mostly occurs in men and women over 50 years old so make sure you get screened annually.

During the screening tests, polyps might be detected which can be removed before they might turn to cancer.  My dad can always tell when polyps regrow as he has a change in his bowel habits which is a good sign to be checked.  He's been in remission for almost four years now.

Get checked and wear blue in support of colon cancer awareness for March!