Alpharetta Man Participating in National Colorectal Cancer Campaign | Community

Derek Kirkman was diagnosed with colon cancer and became blind, and in March he spread the word to warn others about it.

Alpharetta residents are 24 individuals from the Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) national “No Excuses” awareness campaign, which will begin Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in Times Square, New York on March 1. Is one of them.

Kirkman, who was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer at the age of 47 in 2016, was elected ambassador for Fight CRC, a non-profit organization based in Springfield, Missouri, for colorectal cancer and colorectal (colorectal) colorectal cancer. Defending the individual.The campaign will take place in the first week of March and in New York Fight CRC Facebook page..

“I didn’t know much about colon cancer so far, so I think it’s great,” Kirkman said. “When you are diagnosed with cancer, that’s pretty scary that happened to you, so you start looking for information.

“Fortunately, I knew about Fight CRC and some people contacted me, gave me information about it, and helped guide me through the process. Chemotherapy and It’s a long process to experience all the other symptoms that result from it, so it’s good to have some kind of resource to help guide you. “

Prior to diagnosis, Kirkman heard about Fight CRC through his brother Brett, who was introduced to the organization while working at the Gastroenterology Clinic in Arkansas. Kirkman, who works in the advertising industry, has done some work for nonprofits.

“I made a small video for them of the survivors talking about her,” he said.

In a news release, Fight CRC President Angie Davis said the ambassadors “brave together to raise awareness of the disease.”

“I’m confident that their story will resonate with people and inspire them to be screened past excuses,” she said.

Colorectal cancer is tracking only lung cancer as the second leading cause of death among cancers in the United States. Kirkman discovered that he had colon cancer after he began to shed blood in his bowel movements.

“Unfortunately, that’s why (colorectal) cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, because it doesn’t cause many symptoms,” he said. “I didn’t even think I had it because I wasn’t really symptomatic. They really don’t know how long I had it before I was diagnosed, but … I had a plum-sized tumor in my colon. It was so high (in the colon) that I had no symptoms. Finally, it’s too late to have symptoms.

Also, at the time, the recommended age to have a colonoscopy to help detect cancer was 50 (although medical professionals today lowered it to 45), and Kirkman still got it. I didn’t.

“I have no family history of colon cancer, so I really didn’t have a reason to do so,” he said. “I’m pretty healthy and heavy, so everything was thought to be the cause of colon cancer, but I didn’t actually see any of them. Somehow I got it anyway. It was. “

Kirkman, who has been cancer-free for nearly five years, said he was “very lucky and very grateful” to be healthy today.

“I have no real symptoms,” he said. “There are some symptoms of chemotherapy, but overall, I can’t complain too much. I feel good.”

Fight CRC and Comodo Health have collaborated on a study showing that COVID-19 delayed and postponed screening for colorectal cancer. According to Clinical Oncology News, a delay in colorectal cancer screening during a pandemic represents a 12% increase in cancer deaths over the next five years.

As an ambassador, he requires everyone to have a colonoscopy at the age of 50 or 45.

“Unfortunately, having a colonoscopy is the main way to check for colon cancer and it’s not a lot of fun. You have to make a lot of preparations,” he said. It was. “Many people postpone it because having a colonoscopy is not something you can do with a simple blood test, etc. I understand it, and I do it right at 50 I don’t know if it was.

“But hopefully when people hear and hear some stories,” Hey, I know this guy who has … (colon cancer). He had no other symptoms. , And it’s really easy to go undiagnosed. “Hopefully they will listen to me and see a doctor. If you have symptoms, at least follow up on them and have symptoms. If so, please find it early. “