Win a Colonoscopy (No Joke)

There are tons of contests every day that you might be tempted to enter. They offer everything from cruises to cash for prizes. However, there’s one contest that stands out as being somewhat different. Their grand prize is a colonoscopy.

Say what?

Yes, it’s really true. You can enter a contest sponsored by CBS  at CBSCARES to win a free colonoscopy!

You might ask why would anyone enter a contest like that? Here’s why…..

According to the CDC– Among cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer (cancer of the colon or rectum) is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every year, about 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and more than 50,000 people die from it.

And the worst thing is many of these deaths could be prevented. Many people simply don’t have the test and by the time the cancer is found it is much harder to treat and sometimes terminal.

That’s what happened to my mother. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1989 and died a year later at the age of 51. Most doctor’s recommend testing after the age of 50 but she had a history of stomach problems. I can’t tell you the number of times I have tortured myself with the “What if?” game. “What if her doctor had recommended the test?” “What if she had found out sooner she had cancer?” There’s no way of knowing, but, oh, how I miss her.

March is colorectal awareness month and if you have stomach problems or you are over 50 years of age, I beg you, get your doctor to schedule a colonoscopy.

Go ahead and enter the CBSCARES contest, but if you don’t win….get one anyway. It might just save your life.

Need some motivation? Here’s a link to an earlier article I wrote about colon cancer.