Free Colon Cancer Awareness event scheduled for Friday, April 10

King’s Daughters Medical Center, Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital, the American Cancer Society, the Kentucky Cancer Program, Community Hospice and the Greenup and Lawrence County health departments have teamed up to host a Colon Cancer Awareness event from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 10, at Ashland Town Center.

The free event was originally scheduled for March 6 but was postponed due to inclement weather. It will feature the Incredible Colon, an inflatable, 20-by-10 simulation visitors can walk through. Information about colon cancer screenings, prevention and early detection will be available.

The purpose of the event is to promote colon cancer awareness and encourage people to be screened. According to the Colon Cancer Alliance, colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined in the U.S.

The ACS estimates 136,830 were diagnosed and 50,310 died from colon cancer last year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 60 percent of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented if everyone 50 and older received screenings regularly.

When colon cancer is found early and treated, the five-year relative survival rate is 90 percent.

Free screenings available at the April 10 event include checks for blood pressure, pulse, heart rate, oxygen saturation, dermascans, hemoglobin, bone density, glaucoma and lipid profiles.

Education will be available about cancer, diet and exercise. Also available will be the Faces of Colon Cancer display, which features stories of colon cancer survivors from each of eastern Kentucky’s eight area development districts.