WAUKESHA Co., Wis. — The American Cancer Society reports that 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women will develop colorectal cancer in their lifetime.
That’s why the month of March is dedicated to raising awareness on prevention and treatment for the disease.
Jack Birren is a colorectal cancer survivor. His family has a history of this type of cancer and his grandfather, father and uncle had it as well.
“My first colonoscopy was when I turned 20-years-old,” said Birren. “They found a couple polyps, one of a significant size. An alarming size according to the doctor for my age. So, that put me on at that time protocol of five years.”
Birren continued to have routine colonoscopies and was diagnosed at 39 when he noticed his stool was black and tar-like.
“I was diagnosed December 6, 2016,” said Birren. “I had surgery January 3rd, 2017 to have my entire colon removed. I didn’t need a colostomy or ostomy, they were able to attach the small intestine to the rectum. I started chemotherapy about a month later.”
Birren and his father later found out they have Lynch syndrome. That’s a genetic disorder that increases the risk of cancer. He said he can only assume his grandfather and uncle had it too, but they had already passed away.
Dr. Kirk Ludwig is a colorectal surgeon at Froedtert and the Medical College of Wisconsin. He said those who have Lynch syndrome have a particular mutation and every cell in the body has this mutation.
“The risk of developing colon and rectal cancer is much higher than the average population,” said Ludwig. “The risk of developing that cancer comes at a much younger age. Family history is very important to know.”
He encourages those to start getting routine colonoscopies at age 45 unless you have a family history, like Birren.
“If you look, it’s the number one killer for that genre under the age of 50 for men in cancer, but it’s the number one most preventable cancer that there is,” said Birren. “It’s the cancer that doesn’t need to happen because there’s screenings that can help eliminate it.”
Advocating is now another passion for Birren right up there with cooking. He’s been in the culinary world for the past 32 years. The last 12 has been spent has an instructor at Waukesha County Technical College.
He’s even an ambassador for the organization Fight CRC and recently went to Washington D.C. to speak with legislators on awareness and funding for research.
Gee’s Clippers in Milwaukee will host a Colorectal Cancer Conversation event this Saturday. Dr. Ludwig along with colorectal cancer survivors will be on the panel. The event begins at 11 a.m. at Gee’s Clippers at 2200 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.