My father had multiple potentially terminal health issues. One that was a heavy burden on him was his dialysis treatment. He did this for four hours three times a week. I never heard him complain. He was simply content to be able to participate in a treatment that allowed his life to be sustained. My father was a real trooper.
We all knew that daddy had lost function of his kidneys, but the really silent killer was deep inside in a place that does not always present itself with symptoms. "It" was colon cancer, globally, the 3rd leading cause of cancer in men and the 4th in women. We on the popular "Western" diet are at an even higher risk. If you are unaware of the nature and character of colon cancer, you can find out more at the colon cancer foundation.
Oddly enough, I am sceduled for a colonoscopy today ~ this month's papa day. I fought having one for many years as a result of my own silly fears and anxieties. After doing some research, I have found that the most effective prevention for colon cancer is early detection and the removal of precancerous polyps. Don't think that only those with a family history of this dreaded disease are at risk. Having a family member with this disease only increases your chances by 20%, while the cancer occurs sporadically 80% of the time. If you are over 50 years of age, let me exhort you to go and get checked.
I want to put a face on this horrible monster known as colorectal cancer. Here is my precious father when he was young and healthy, an airplane mechanic for the United States Air Force. We have been told that it is possible the cancer began growing as many as fifteen years before it was identified. That would have put my father at the still spry age of seventy when it first began. Had he had a colonoscopy back then, this cancer might have been prevented.
I go under the scope at 10:30 this morning... Make sure you make it your business to get family and friends to be diligent at scheduling their procedures.
Colonoscopies save lives. Get yours scheduled today.
