With the help of Innovis Health, Wahpeton, the Richland County Health Department is using a $3,000 grant from the North Dakota Cancer Coalition to provide free screening for colorectal cancer for older adults.
“For patients whose cancers are found early and treated before spreading, the five-year survival rate is 90 percent, but less than half of colorectal cancers are diagnosed at an early stage,” said Jean Smith, Richland County registered nurse.
|
Advertisement |
“Early detection is so important,” Smith said.
Although Smith has been in contact with 25 Richland County residents interested in taking part in the screening, she is seeking 25-30 additional willing participants. Any interested person needs to be a patient at Innovis Health, Wahpeton, a resident in Richland County and must not have been screened recently. Fifty Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) kits have been provided courtesy of Innovis.
“You do it in the privacy of your own home over a three-day period,” Smith said.
Wahpeton resident Ken Bakkegard, a survivor of colorectal cancer, knows the importance of early detection. Thomas Mohs, an Innovis doctor, diagnosed Bakkegard with the disease in September 2008 after finding one of two polyps on his large intestine cancerous. Bakkegard was 65 at the time, using a free physical offered to him through Medicare.
“[The doctor] said it was caught at a very early stage,” Bakkegard said.
On Oct. 29, 2008, Bakkegard had surgery, where 10 inches of colon was removed. A biopsy done after the procedure revealed the cancer hadn’t spread to his lymph nodes or further into his intestines.
And although Bakkegard calls his recovery brutal, he considers himself fortunate.
“Mohs said, ‘You got a guardian angel looking over your shoulder on this deal,’” Bakkegard said. “I would recommend early screening for anybody, men in particular, I suppose… it saved me.”
Anyone interested in participating in the screening and receiving a FOBT kit and want to learn more about colorectal cancer, contact Smith at 642-7735.
Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The Daily News is not liable for messages from third parties.
DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in wahpetondailynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the The Daily News. The Daily News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized The Daily News spokespersons.
Thank you for your comments!