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Don’t ignore the risks and signs of colon cancer

It doesn’t happen as much as we’d like to see, but it does happen; famous people using their celebrity for good.

We are a lot more use to seeing actors, actresses, comics and sports figures taking to their soap boxes to preach politics or to try sway public opinion on social issues which they have no apparent expertise in.

Most of us take such abuse of free speech with a grain of salt, because, who really cares what Rosie O’Donnell thinks about anything.

Recently, though, Jimmy Kimmel and Katie Couric teamed up to point out the risks of colorectal cancer, this being colon cancer awareness month. According to an Associated Press story, Kimmel brought Couric along with him for his colonoscopy. Couric was with Kimmel before and after the examination, and their conversations were aired Tuesday on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

The AP said Kimmel turned 50 in November, which is the age the American Cancer Society recommends for the colorectal cancer screening.

“The exam found no sign of polyps. But Couric joked with Kimmel that keys, toy soldiers and a harmonica were recovered.

Couric actually has significant credibility when it comes to colon cancer. Her late husband died of the disease in 1998 and she’s been an advocate for testing since then. She had a colonoscopy done on TV in 2007, the AP recalled.

While the celebrities managed a laugh or two about Kimmel’s procedure their message was a serious one. Don’t joke around with colon cancer, get tested.

Not exactly a celebrity, but making the same pitch in a submitted column earlier this week, was North Dakota’s former first lady Mikey Hoeven.

Her article pointed out just how pervasive colon cancer is in this country.

“More than 140,000 men and women in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2018 and 50,630 will die of the disease. In North Dakota alone 350 will be diagnosed and 110 will die of colorectal cancer in 2018,” Hoeven wrote.

And, “You should get a colonoscopy every 10 years beginning at age 50, unless your results or risk factors indicate you need to be screened earlier or more often.”

That, of course, is good advice that we should share with friends and family this and every month.

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