Push Up Foundation brings awareness to colon cancer; holds 5K Fun Run & Walk
HOUSTON - We're heading into colorectal cancer awareness month in March. It's the third most diagnosed cancer in both men and women. A foundation in Houston is inviting you to a fun run this weekend to help spread their important message.
Push up to fight colon cancer! No, don't drop and give me 20, this has a deeper meaning than that.
"We started the Push Up Foundation when I was going through chemo. I had just had colon cancer diagnosis, had surgery, and I had six months of chemo," explains Keith Rollins.
During those treatments, Keith and his family decided to turn his experience into awareness for others, especially women.
"It was mind blowing! It was just in conversation with different people we know, some of our best friends told us they're glad they're not a man, so they don't have to do that. So, we started educating just our friends and family and then we started talking to docs and they're tell us there is a stigma that it's mainly just in men. Now we're getting the word out about that. We need to get women to get pre-emptive and get through the preventative steps just like any man would," states Keith.
The risks are only slightly higher for men. The American Cancer Society says the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 23 for men and 1 in 25 for women. Kathy Mathiason was shocked when she was diagnosed four years ago.
"It was really scary because I've always been healthy! I was the healthiest, unhealthy person that I know; working out and eating well and eating healthy and talking to my friends and my family about you know, listen to your body. It's really important," says Kathy.
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Kathy went to the doctor quickly after noticing rectal bleeding and that quick diagnosis meant it was caught early stage. Her only treatment was surgery to remove the tumor. She's raising awareness now because colon health was not anywhere on her radar.
"Even though I do I have kind of a history of colon health in my family, I never really thought about having colon cancer. Certainly, in talking to your friends, you're typically focusing on other cancers and other types. Make sure you do your mammogram and you're talking to your daughters and their friends and your friends about preventive care, but never really even thought about colon cancer," explains Kathy.
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Kathy and Keith hope you'll join them for the Push Up Foundation's fourth annual victory lap. They'll share vital info at the 5K Fun Run & Walk.
"People need to get their colonoscopies at the age of 45, not 50. "We just want people to take action, and I can't tell you how many stories I've heard - like you've saved my life, if I didn't go, they wouldn't have found that polyp or if I didn't go, this would have happened, or I did go and they found this, they caught it early. So, we're doing our job, and we just hope we can help impact as many people as possible," says Keith.
He wants everyone to realize that it's one of the most preventable cancers, because during a colonoscopy, surgeons can remove a pre-cancerous polyp.