Yesterday, March 22, was Lynch Syndrome Awareness day. Today I posted a version of this to Facebook:
I’ve dragged my feet about posting, I think partly because I tend to resist to “cancer awareness” campaigns. Maybe it’s the Midwesterner in me that is skeptical about making a “big fuss” out of things. I suspect the attention-seeking of mostly being a grab for marketing dollars and wonder, WHO is all this AWARENESS helping?
But then I think about this: Two decades ago, when doctors discovered my first colon cancer, it was already a Stage 3 tumor the size of a small fist. It wasn’t until after my surgery that I learned I had Lynch Syndrome—a genetic mutation I’d never heard of. Today, someone with my family history could ask to be tested, and, if positive, could be screened starting at age 20. So WHO does Lynch Syndrome awareness help? It would have helped (and has helped) ME…and it might help someone you know, too!
So “Happy Lynch Syndrome Awareness Day!”
Related post: “I Have Lynch Syndrome.“
