Get Your Rear in Gear to Support Local Colon Cancer Patients

On Sun., August 11, over 200 runners, walkers, volunteers, colorectal cancer survivors, and caregivers will join together in the fight against the nation’s No. 2 cancer killer: colon cancer. Get Your Rear in Gear® − Colchester is a family-friendly 5K Run/Walk planned to raise awareness and encourage screening for this largely preventable cancer.

Celebrate survivors, support caregivers, and remember those who left us too soon. Stroll the Blue Mile and see tributes to those lost and messages honoring survivors of colon and rectal cancer.

"I recently witnessed the difficult journey of a friend of mine during his treatment and recovery from colorectal cancer. The life changing impact of this diagnosis and the stress it caused on him and his loved ones was painful to see,” says Sarah Lemnah, Executive Director for Cancer Patient Support Foundation and local event director for Get Your Rear in Gear – Colchester. “I am honored to be a part of this event both on a professional and personal level. The Cancer Patient Support Foundation works with local colon cancer patients and their families as they struggle through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. I want to encourage all Vermonters to understand the importance of screening for colon cancer. This is a disease that when caught early is so treatable. Please, do not be one of those people who got diagnosed too late."

This race is planned by local volunteers with help from the Colon Cancer Coalition, a national organization that hosts over 40 events across the country to educate and raise funds for colon cancer screening and prevention. Money raised through Get Your Rear in Gear – Colchester will be granted by the Colon Cancer Coalition to build and fund programs in the Green Mountain State aimed at increasing colon cancer screening and early detection of the disease. Funds raised in past years provide patient services including financial and emotional support to colorectal cancer patients through a grant to the Cancer Patient Support Foundation.

Just the facts about colon cancer:

• One in 23 Americans will be diagnosed with colon cancer during their lifetime.
• 51% of adults 50-54 have not been screened.
• New recommendations from the American Cancer Society encourage colon cancer screening start at age 45.
• Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer incidence and death in young adults under 50 in the United States (National Center for Biotechnology Information at the National Institute of Health). 
• 1 in 5 colorectal cancer patients are 20-54 years old.

​Sun., Aug 11, celebrates the 12th Get Your Rear in Gear event in Colchester. The 5K run/walk starts at 10:00 a.m. Registration information is available online at ColonCancerCoalition.org/Colchester. Information about volunteering, fundraising, sponsoring the event or forming a team is also available on the website. Colorectal cancer screening information as well as a list of symptoms and other information about the disease can also be found on the website.
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About the Colon Cancer Coalition
The Colon Cancer Coalition is a non-profit organization based in Minneapolis, Minn. dedicated to encouraging screening and raising awareness of colon cancer. The organization’s signature Get Your Rear in Gear® and Tour de Tush® event series are volunteer-driven in communities throughout the United States. In 2017 the Colon Cancer Coalition granted over $1 million dollars to local communities that will build and sustain programs promoting early prevention, screening, and patient support services for this disease. By making the words colon, colorectal and colonoscopy a part of the everyday language, we believe we can overcome the fear and decrease deaths from this largely preventable cancer. For more information visit ColonCancerCoalition.org. 
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