DAVENPORT, Iowa -- March 14, 2016 -- Genesis Cancer Care Institute will create awareness about colorectal cancer with an inflatable you won't see at a child's birthday party.
A walk through, 20-foot-long, 8-foot-high inflatable colon with colorectal health features inside will be on display to raise awareness about the importance of colorectal cancer screenings.
The public is invited to check out the super colon on Tuesday, March 22 from 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in front of the Genesis Cancer Care Institute. The Genesis Cancer Care Institute is located in Pavilion 1 on the Genesis Medical Center, West Central Park Campus, Davenport.
The giant colon inflatable is tall enough to walk through and is designed to educate people about the risk, symptoms, prevention, early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer.
"March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and we hope our efforts to raise awareness will result in more people scheduling their first colonoscopy at age 50, or their follow-up colonoscopy 5 or 10 years later,'' said Wendy Ballou, oncology program coordinator, Genesis Cancer Care Institute. "Colonoscopy is one of the most effective health screenings available because the procedure removes pre-cancerous polyps before they become a more dangerous issue.''
Colon cancer is the No. 2 cause of cancer deaths in Iowa, ranking only behind lung cancer.
There will be colorectal health fact sheets and brochures available from Genesis Cancer Care Institute staff. Genesis staff will be available to answer any questions.
###
