Mar 24, 2008 8:29 pm US/Eastern
CBS4 Kicks Off "Test For Life" Colorectal Campaign
Free "Test For Life" Kits Available At Good Neighbor Pharmacies
Click here for more information on CBS4.COM/Colorectal
DORAL (CBS4) ―
CBS 4 is kicking off "The Test For Life" campaign to stress the importance of getting tested for colon cancer and you can be tested for free.
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and with few specific signs or symptoms, the only hope of catching it early is to get screened. That's why CBS4 is kicking off "The Test For Life" campaign.
About 150,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer of the colon or rectum every year, and about 50,000 will die from the disease. It strikes men and women equally.
Dr. Michael Hellinger from Mount Sinai Hospital said it's curable if caught early, but deadly when it's not.
"There's over 125,000 new cases every year, and about 50 to 60 thousand people die in the United States every year," explained Hellinger.
CBS4 Health Specialist Dr. Sean Kenniff recently sat down with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, who dedicated her life to raising awareness about colon cancer after her husband Jay Monahan died from the disease at age 42.
"When Jay was 41, he was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer, stage four, it was very advance it was all over his liver" Couric told CBS4's Dr. Sean Kenniff.
Nine months of chemotherapy could not save his life.
"After his death, it made me realize how little I knew about colorectal cancer and how little the American public knew. So I felt obligated to help educate people, and hopefully arm them with the information they needed to potentially to save their own lives, or the life of someone they loved," Couric said.
While on NBC's Today Show, Couric had a colonoscopy and aired it on national television. This act of great humility, save thousands of lives according to a study in the archives of internal medicine. They even call it "The Katie Couric Effect."
Couric also started the Jay Monahan Center, where colorectal cancer patients can get information and get treated. She says tragedies can be prevented for other families by simply getting screened.
"So when anyone turns 50, they need to get a screening colonoscopy, and if their doctor won't give them one, they need to go to another doctor," said Couric.
If you'd like to get your free "Test For Life", you can pick one up from any Good Neighbor Pharmacy.
Just Click Here to find the one closet to you or you can call a hotline at 1-888-447-9997 for more information.
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