Wear blue on Friday, March 7 to mark Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and encourage screening and colonoscopies

Friday, March 7 will be "Dress in Blue Day" to mark National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and to help raise awareness about colon cancer in Kentucky, according to Madeline Abramson, wife of Lt. Gov. Jerry Abramson.

“Kentucky has one the highest mortality rates of colorectal cancer in the nation,” she said in a news release.  “The good news is that through preventative screenings, this deadly disease can be detected early and treated successfully. I ask Kentuckians to join me in wearing blue on March 7 to help spread the word about the risks of colon cancer and the importance of getting screened.”

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 2,200 Kentuckians will be newly diagnosed with colon cancer this year and nearly 900 of them will die from it.  Those over 50, or who have a family history of colon cancer, are at the greatest risk and should get regular colonoscopies, doctors say.

To help raise awareness in Frankfort, the State Capitol dome will be lit blue until March 7. Hospitals, businesses, churches, schools, banks, health departments and other organizations are planning and hosting special activities to commemorate the month and promote screening.  

For more information on Colorectal Cancer Month and Dress in Blue Day, visit Madeline Abramson’s website at http://1.usa.gov/NrsMri and the Colon Cancer Prevention Project site at http://bit.ly/1i3q98G. The Kentucky Cancer Program website at www.kycancerprogram.org has information about cancer prevention, awareness and treatment.