Why Screen?

Back in March, we asked our patients to tell us why they came to us for their screening colonoscopy. We got over 700 entries, and some people had really remarkable reasons. Over the coming weeks, we will share some of their responses; these are real comments from real people, and we hope that this inspires more people to be screened for this highly preventable disease.

  • "My mom died of colon cancer."
  • "I have lost multiple family members to cancer. Being proactive could have saved several of those in my family who were too stubborn or complicit to do a screening."
  • "I had a routine colonoscopy because I have a great life and I want to live as long as I can."
  • "I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney disease, which made me stop and look at my health. Begin over 50, I thought a colonoscopy is a good place to start."
  • "Because I want to see my son grow up and continue to coach him in baseball."
  • "Because I lost a dear friend to colon cancer and had he done the screenings, he would still be with us today."
  • "My kids. My grand kids. To travel the world."
  • "My father had colon cancer and my mother had pre-cancerous polyps. I also had a pre-cancerous polyp removed. Colonoscopy prep might be inconvenient, but it's better than colon cancer."

Maybe you or someone you know or love has a similar story. If the timing and circumstances are right for you, please get screened and encourage others to screen as well. It's 30 minutes that could save a life.