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Mercer Island Half Marathon and Colon Cancer Prevention

Published Date
Author Amir L Bastawrous

On Sunday, March 25, 2012, the Mercer Island Rotary Club will be hosting the 40th Annual Mercer Island Half Marathon. Children and adults of all ages participate and we anticipate more of the same this year. In addition to the half marathon race around the Island, there will also be a 10K Run, a 5K Run and Walk and a Kids’ Dash. So anyone can participate!

Swedish and the Swedish Cancer Institute are sponsors of this signature event. We are so excited to be part of this event again. One of the main purposes of the day is to raise awareness of colon cancer prevention.

In addition to the various runs and walks, you can still visit, have fun and maybe learn something new. You can also visit the “COLOSSAL COLON”! For the first time you get to walk through the colon and see what the inside looks like! Just don’t get lost in there. Don’t worry, it doesn’t smell!

This year will be particularly special as the 40th anniversary run. In honor of the anniversary, the Mercer Island Rotary Club has collected the “40 Faces of Colon Cancer”. This is a terrific idea. It’s a way to make colon cancer personal and real. Patients of all ages, races and backgrounds have agreed to share their personal stories and cancer experiences. Each story is unique as are the individuals with cancer. What they have in common is a passion to raise awareness of colon cancer and the need to get screened.

Colon cancer is unique among cancers in that nearly all can be prevented with appropriate screening. Specialists such as Gastroenterologists and Colorectal Surgeons perform colonoscopy screening to identify precancerous polyps and remove them before they turn into cancers. By doing so we save lives. The best cancer is the one you never get.

Please come and join us.

(Ed. note - everyone should get screened with a colonoscopy at age 50. If you have questions about colonoscopies or why you should get screened, joined us for a live conversation about colon cancer and colonoscopies next Wednesday, March 28, from 9 a.m. to noon Pacific Time. You'll be able to learn what a colonoscopy procedure is and ask any question to our physicians - there's no question too embarrassing to ask, especially when you can do so anonymously! Join the conversation next week and check out the resulting colonoscopy video.)