LOUISVILLE, Ky. — March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and the Kentucky Cancer Program (KCP) at the University of Louisville is hosting several events.

What You Need To Know

  • March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

  • The Kentucky Cancer Program is hosting several events throughout the month

  • According to the Colon Cancer Coalition, the five-year survival rate for stages one and two colon cancer is 90%

KCP hosted its "Incredible Colon" tour event at the West Broadway YMCA Saturday, March 9, in Louisville to educate gym-goers about colon cancer and when they should get screened. KCP volunteers set up an inflatable, walk-through-size replica of a human colon for the event.

The five-year survival rate for stages one and two colon cancer is 90%, according to the Colon Cancer Coalition. Contessa Payne, KCP volunteer and breast cancer survivor, said she was diagnosed with the disease in 2014, and it was caught early. 

Contessa Payne (left) played bingo during Saturday's event. The game served as an educational tool about colon cancer as well. (Spectrum News 1/Geraldine Torrellas)

“You want people that look like you to see that, ‘Oh, wow; you had cancer? I did, and this is where I am today,’" Payne said. 

Volunteers also handed out pamphlets with information on resources. 

“We can’t say who’s going to get cancer, but we know that we need to find it ... and the treatment then is more effective,” said Virginia Bradford of KCP’s Kentucky African Americans Against Cancer.

KCP has a colon cancer screening program, and those who qualify can get a free colon cancer screening. More information can be found by calling Kentucky CancerLink at 877-597-4655.

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