Colon Cancer

March is Colon Cancer Awareness month and the staff at the Endoscopy Center at Robinwood is selling chances to win a Longaberger basket filled with goodies valued at more than $750.  All proceeds from the raffle will go to colon cancer research (charity to be chosen by the doctors).  Tickets cost $1 each or six for $5.  The winner will be drawn March 29, and the winner does not need not be present to win.  For more information and to purchase tickets, stop by the Robinwood Medical Center blue or silver entrance, suite 248.

Colon cancer targeted By DON WORTHINGTON / Staff Writer Washington County health officials likely will concentrate on preventing and treating colon, rectal and melanoma skin cancers as part of a statewide cancer-fighting program. continued The county's colorectal cancer rate for 1997, the most recent year for which statistics are available, was 50.6 incidents per 100,000 people. The Maryland rate was 48.6 per 100,000 and the U.S. rate was 43.9 per 100,000.

By SAM MCMANIS Sacramento Bee He came to dread Octobers. When the leaves turned and the calendar flipped over to the 10th month, it was time again for Steve Abrams to have his yearly colonoscopy. As a longtime colitis sufferer, Abrams knew he was at extremely high risk for colon cancer, so he dutifully complied with his doctor's edict to have a yearly colonoscopy. It wasn't the exam itself he dreaded - though, to be honest, it's not a lot of fun - but rather the wait to know whether this would be the year doctors would find something.

katec@herald-mail.com George Smith thought he had the flu at the end of July. But after he became severely ill with diarrhea, Jenny, his wife of more than 45 years, took him to the emergency room Aug. 3. "You talk about pain," says Smith, 64. Tests revealed that Smith had a tumor the size of a small orange on his colon. George Smith had colon cancer. Dr. Karl P. Riggle, a general and vascular surgeon, performed surgery to remove the growth and a section of his large intestine, Smith says.

Colon test could save lives By Shana Ruff March, the second annual colorectal cancer awareness month, has been dedicated to teaching people about this deadly, yet preventable disease. Colon cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the United States, and yet it is also the most preventable and treatable cancer. If caught in the early stages, it is 90 percent curable; unfortunately, if caught in the later stages, it is only 10 percent curable. 56,600 people died of colon cancer in 1999, and only 41 percent of Americans who have symptoms have ever been tested.

Tobacco funds to pay for cancer screening By SCOTT BUTKI scottb@herald-mail.com The Washington County Health Department will use some of its state tobacco settlement money to fund a campaign urging residents to get screened for colon cancer, according to Health Officer William Christoffel. The department received about $380,000 this year from the state Cigarette Restitution Fund Program and is expecting another $410,000 next year, Christoffel said Friday.

katec@herald-mail.com In 1989, more than 25,000 Washington County residents gave samples of their blood to a Johns Hopkins research program as part of a study called Clue II. The components of their blood - plasma, red and white blood cells - have been stored, and, years later, researchers can look at and measure concentrations of nutrients, proteins and hormones in the samples to see if they provide clues to what protects against certain...

Bioflavonoids - May promote circulation, help lower cholesterol levels and help prevent cataracts. Vitamin B-6 - May help prevent kidney stones. Calcium - Used in building bones and teeth and maintaining bone strength, helps with blood clotting, and prevents osteoporosis and possibly colon cancer. Vitamin D - Helps the body absorb calcium. Vitamin E - Protects vitamin A and essential fatty acids from oxidation in the body cells and prevents breakdown of body tissues; may help prevent prostate cancer in smokers.

kimy@herald-mail.com When her sister died of colorectal cancer last year Barbara Boone said she took the tragedy as a warning. Doctors told her she could be at risk because of her family history and her age - 49. So Boone had a colorectal cancer screening last summer, she said. The colonoscopy, which was subsidized by the Washington County Health Department's Colon Cancer Prevention, Education, Screening and Treatment program, showed that Boone had benign polyps in her colon.

During March, which was Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the Endoscopy Center at Robinwood held its fourth annual basket raffle to raise money for colon cancer research and awareness.  This year, the center raised more than $1,200, which will be donated to the Washington County Health Department's colon cancer screening program.   Debby Cushwa of Digestive Disorders Consultants was the winner of this year's basket filled with more than $750...

Mickey Mantle was one of my favorite baseball heroes as I was growing up in Dargan. I still remember the exciting 1961 home run race between him and Roger Maris. As Mantle lay in his New York hospital bed dying from cancer of the liver, he famously said, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” He died Aug. 13, 1995, at the age of 63. In parting, I think the “Mick” gave us some very good advice.  A little prevention can often serve a valuable purpose.

HAGERSTOWN -- Some people strolled through the survivors lap Friday at the American Cancer Society Relay For Life. Some struggled. Their pace varied, but their personal journeys through cancer gave them much in common. They smiled about the successful battles and got choked up over the losses they have known. This is the 25th year of Relay For Life, a national overnight event for raising money and bonding. It was commemorated locally in Hagerstown's Fairgrounds Park. "It's a lot of emotion," said Bernard Keating, who lives near Hagerstown.

MAUGANSVILLE -- A hush fell over the room when Cory Eyler held up a piece of paper listing the symptoms he experienced five years ago when he learned he had colon cancer. The paper was blank. "Today I celebrate my life as I continue on my mission to reach out to all cancer survivors," Eyler said. "Don't let this monster catch you off guard. " At the Maugansville Ruritan Building Sunday afternoon, 30 to 35 organizers, team leaders and team members gathered to kick off the 2009 American Cancer Society Relay for Life in Washington County.

By SAM MCMANIS Sacramento Bee He came to dread Octobers. When the leaves turned and the calendar flipped over to the 10th month, it was time again for Steve Abrams to have his yearly colonoscopy. As a longtime colitis sufferer, Abrams knew he was at extremely high risk for colon cancer, so he dutifully complied with his doctor's edict to have a yearly colonoscopy. It wasn't the exam itself he dreaded - though, to be honest, it's not a lot of fun - but rather the wait to know whether this would be the year doctors would find something.

If you're in the market for some new recipes, while helping out a worthy cause, you'll want to get a copy of a new cookbook. Hot off the presses, "Great Intentions" is a collection of recipes from staff at several Robinwood Medical Center offices - the Endoscopy Center, Gastroenterology Associates, Digestive Disorders and Robinwood Department of Anesthesia. The title highlights the initials G.I. - the abbreviation for the gastrointestinal tract. The G.I. is the area of the body in which three of these offices specialize.

HAGERSTOWN -- Laura Brown doesn't mind bad hair days. After losing her hair because of chemotherapy treatments, she said she'd take a bad hair day to being bald any day. The bonus - if that's what you can call it - is that Brown's hair came in curlier, darker and thicker than it was before chemotherapy. "It grows in completely different," Brown said. Brown, 35, will be the survivor speaker at this year's Relay for Life and entertainment co-chair for the event, an overnight fundraiser set for June 20 and 21 at Hagerstown's Fairgrounds Park.

MAUGANSVILLE - At 25 years old, Laura Brown wasn't expecting to hear the words, "You have cancer. " That was 10 years ago. Since then, the Hagerstown resident has heard other, better words. "Will you marry me?" "You're going to have triplets. " And, "You're a 10-year survivor of colon cancer. " Brown was one of about 60 people who helped kick off the American Cancer Society's annual Relay for Life of Washington County on Sunday. Like many, Brown said her motivation to participate in the fundraising event is to raise money and also to help educate people about the importance of early detection.

HAGERSTOWN - The joy of Christmas can be wrenching for people who are grieving, like Kathy King of Hagerstown, whose husband, Ken, died of colon cancer in June. With so many people around her excited about holiday plans, King said she went into the office of Denise Staub, her friend and co-worker at Middletown High School, and cried, thinking about how she'll be alone. Staub understands: Her husband, Calvin, died in August 2006, also of cancer. The women's mothers also died around the same time.