Now to an important discussion on a growing health concern here in the U.S. -- March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
A new American Cancer Society study shows colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in adults under 50. It’s the only major cancer where mortality is still rising in younger adults.
This year alone, there will be nearly 159,000 new cases of colon cancer in the U.S. That’s about 440 people being diagnosed every day.
Just last month, actor James Van Der Beek died from the disease at the age of 48.
So we wanted to gather a group of people working to raise awareness and advocate for preventive measures.
Britta Wofford, a mom of three and a colon cancer survivor; Christy McDonald, a speaker, moderator, and former anchor -- She lost her husband, longtime sports writer and radio host Jamie Samuelsen, to colon cancer in 2020. He was just 48 years old -- and Dr. Harry Wasvary, the chief of colorectal surgery at Corewell Health, joined Local 4 Live to talk more about colon cancer awareness. You can watch the full interview at the beginning of this article.