Page 64 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2016

HEALTHY LIVING get screened
TRUSAT YOUR
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
story by Lisa Kröger photos by Teddy Lewis and courtesy of Gastroenterology Center
t age 31, Gulfport experiencing these symptoms should native Steve Johnson, seek medical advice and screening known locally as “Scuba through their physician.
Steve,” the moniker for March is Colon Cancer Awareness his T-shirt business, Month. While discussing the inner
never expected to be battling cancer, much less stage III colorectal cancer. He first ignored his symptoms, which included blood in his stool and abdominal pain, in part due to his age. Colorectal cancer is often thought of as a disease that affects older people, but Allison Wall, M.D., a specialist in hematology/oncology at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, warns that “it can affect anybody.”
“People have to be aware of change in bowel habits,” she said. “It can be constipation, dark stool that
looks black, or bright red blood.”
Other warning signs can include
weight loss and abdominal pain.
Anyone
workings of the colon might not be an everyday topic, it is an important one. Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly of all cancers. As a cancer,
it doesn’t discriminate, affecting all racial and ethnic groups, though African Americans have a slightly higher risk, as do people age 50 and older.
The good news? Colorectal cancer is different from most cancers because
it is largely curable, if it is caught early, which is why Peter J. Bernheim, M.D., of Gastroenterology Center recommends screenings starting at age 50, though those with a family history of colorectal cancer or other colon diseases like ulcerative colitis
or Crohn’s may decide with their doctor to start screenings early. The American College of Gastroenterology recommends African Americans start screenings at age 45.
Gulfport native Scuba Steve Johnson, at the age of 31, never expected to be battling colorectal cancer. Send him your support at #scubastrong.