This past Sunday, my dear friend Charlotte and I laced up our running shoes and participated in the Get Your Rear In Gear 5K to raise awareness for Colon Cancer. This was my first race since my loss and we ran it to honor my Mom who is currently battling colon cancer.
I had originally signed up to run it alone but Char is such a good friend and she signed up and stayed with me the entire time. (Trust me, that chick runs fast and she is about to run her first marathon, staying with super slow me was a sacrifice.) I am so glad that she did. I desperately needed the support as my shin splints were killing me and if I had been alone I probably would have walked (and cried) during most of it.
Before the race, a few people were speaking to the group, and a women (I am not sure who she was but she seemed to be the coordinator) got up and was talking about how small the turn out for the colon cancer race was compared to breast cancer, autism and other popular causes. I have been thinking about her statements and how true it is. No one wants to talk about the unpopular cancers and when people do talk about them, there is a hushed tone that is taken.
Personally, I want to scream at the top of my lungs from the tallest towers to raise awareness of cancers of all kinds but since I have this blog, I will just just leverage my platform and bring awareness to you.
So here are a few stats on colon cancer (from the American Cancer Society):
- Colon Cancer is the 3rd leading cause of cancer deaths in the US.
- Found in it’s early stages it is 90% treatable.
- A family history of colon cancer or polyps can increase your risk of developing the disease.
If you have any reason to believe that you are at risk for colon cancer (or any type of cancer) get screened today! I have my screening coming up here in a few weeks…and I might just blog about it!
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| Char & I inside a Cancerous Colon! Race Time 36:26 Pace 11:44 |
Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the Get Your Rear In Gear 5k or any of it’s companies. I wrote this post out of my personal experiences and all opinions, ideas and thoughts are my own. I am very grateful for the Columbus, OH group that organized this race and gave me an opportunity to Honor my Mom. I pray for a cure!
