As you may know from the fairly extensive advertising campaigns, March was Colon Cancer Awareness Month. As a guy with lymphoma who has been taking some very heavy doses of chemotherapy drugs since December, I have been curious if I need to be screened for colon cancer.
Seems I should be able to get a pass, considering I already have one type of cancer and am being treated. So I asked one of the oncology nurses at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center. As it turns out, getting treated for one form of cancer doesn't exclude you from another kind. The drugs I am being given to fight lymphoma are very specific to my treatment and condition.
She added that because I do not have a history of colon cancer in my family, am under 50 years old and haven't noticed any polyps, then I can probably wait another half-decade before being screened.
If you are in the risk zone (50 or older, history in the family, polyps, etc.), then get screened. A colonoscopy is way more convenient than waging a war against this evil. Trust me on this one.
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Faces of Cancer: Kennewick couple faced cancer together
Faces of Cancer: Kennewick couple faced cancer together
KENNEWICK — After spending more than five years battling two kinds of cancer between them, one Kennewick couple not only is happy to be on the other side but also views life quite differently.
Matt Long, 50, was diagnosed in 2004 with non-Hodgkins lymphoma and went through about 30 chemotherapy treatments during more than three years. Just months after he was declared free of the cancer, his wife, Debbie, was diagnosed with colon cancer -- and was just a matter of weeks from being terminal.
"It was a journey," said Debbie, 50. "You can choose to make it a positive journey or sit back and say, 'Pity on me.' We didn't have time for that. We have kids and grandkids."
Fast Focus: Get screened
Fast Focus: Get screened
My dad battled cancer for 11 years. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in October 1999, and he passed away Oct. 25, 2010. When the leaves start changing colors and falling to the ground it stirs up the memories of my Dad's final days. He was the most compassionate and generous man I have ever known. If you needed anything and he had it to give, it was yours. He gave so much and suffered so much. He taught me how to live with love and he taught me how to die with peace.
I wish for all who may have a history of cancer in their family, or who worry about symptoms, to get screened. My dad had symptoms that he put off for awhile. Would it have saved his life? We may never know. But this I can tell you. I miss him every day of my life. Man, I wish he were here. Take care of yourselves the best you can and live to help another.
My dad fought valiantly and has taught me to never give up, do the best you can and when there is no other way, trust in God. He has a plan for all of us. My heart goes out to
Faces of Cancer: Brother saved Tri-City restaurant owner's life
Faces of Cancer: Brother saved Tri-City restaurant owner's life
When Tri-City restaurateur Marty Martin was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2007, there was one chance in 10 million that his brother might also have the same disease, especially since there was no family history of cancer and both were under 50.
But Marty kept bugging his brother Darren to get checked out, especially because Darren had not been feeling well.
"He was adamant about me going in because I'd had some stomach troubles," said Darren, owner of the Magill's restaurants in Pasco and Richland.
Faces of Cancer: Tri-Citian battles 3 cancers to care for wife
Faces of Cancer: Tri-Citian battles 3 cancers to care for wife
Most survivors will say that fighting cancer can be an exhausting, all-encompassing battle. Imagine waging a simultaneous war on three fronts.
That's what Dennis DeFord of Kennewick faced more than three years ago.
DeFord, 72, was diagnosed with skin cancer, prostate cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma all about the same time, around February 2008. The most serious of the three was mantle cell lymphoma, one of the rarest forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, so that is what his doctors tackled first. He began with six rounds of chemotherapy at the Tri-Cities Cancer Center in Kennewick.
Faces of cancer: Newsman defeated cancer
Faces of cancer: Newsman defeated cancer
KENNEWICK -- Cancer is an insidious disease with many faces. This month, we will bring you "Faces of Cancer" -- daily stories of cancer and how it changes the lives of Tri-Citians.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while it is important to raise awareness for one of the most common forms of cancer, we have decided to highlight many cancers and how they affect our community.
Each day, we will bring you stories of triumph and sorrow, of people fighting for their lives and of those who fight alongside them.
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