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Irving Mayor Signs Proclamation Declaring March as Colorectal Cancer Awarenness Month

On Thursday, Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer met with ColonoscopyAssist to sign a proclamation declaring March as Colorectal Awareness Month and to discuss awareness activities in the Irving community. The signing of the proclamation coincided with a larger event organized by the group to light Dallas downtown buildings blue for the week for colon cancer.

During their discussion, ColonoscopyAssist director, Ali Poonawala, stressed the importance of screenings, saying “Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States. Approximately 135,000 will be diagnosed this year and 50,000 will die from the cancer even though the cancer is preventable with timely screening.” At the meeting, ColonoscopyAssist also brought to light their national colorectal cancer hotline, a free resource that is available to Irving residents looking for answers to questions around colon cancer screenings. “Colonoscopy is not the only way to get screened” says Poonawala. “There are many non-invasive screening tests and the best screening method is the one that gets done.”

Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer said “Irving residents: now is the time for a colon cancer screening. Please encourage your friends and relatives to make an appointment as well during Colon Cancer Awareness Month. A simple screening can save lives.”  

In recent years, ColonoscopyAssist has been informing communities about FIT, an alternative screening test to Colonoscopy. “The FIT is a non-invasive stool test kit mailed to the patients’ home. Patients follow instructions and send the kit back to the lab for processing.” Says Chelsea Moran, Education and Outreach coordinator at ColonoscopyAssist. “It’s usually free if you have insurance and just $25 if you don’t and can be ordered directly from our website (colonoscopyassist.com) without visiting a doctor first. The test is attractive, because it allows us to screen individuals that do not visit their doctors for their annual wellness visits.”  

With the efforts put forward by Mayor Stopfer and ColonoscopyAssist, attention to life-saving colon cancer screenings can be brought to the Irving community.  

ColonoscopyAssist, is a nationwide colon cancer screening program based locally in DFW and has been promoting early detection by bringing affordable screenings to the uninsured community. The program works with Baylor Plano and Medical City Arlington to provide discounted colonoscopies to DFW uninsured residents. The program also offers FIT screenings via a mail home program for $25 at https://colonoscopyassist.com
 
National colon cancer hotline : 1-855- 542-6566

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