Memorial Sloan-Kettering's "Visible Ink" program has been putting cancer journeys out to the public, front and center, as an art form.
It got so bad that she ended up in the ER on December 26, alone because of COVID, facing a frightening Stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis.She said what's frustrating is that her symptoms came on pretty suddenly back when she was much younger, about 20, and she actually had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with a lazy bowel. But the cancer diagnosis came out of nowhere.
Canale appears to have no genetic mutations for cancer, though her mother had breast cancer 20 years ago. So if anything, she had been extremely pro-active about that. The American Cancer Society recommends screening for colorectal cancer at age 45 and up, down from age 50. But the death rate for those ages 20 to 54 has actually been increasing for years now.."I honestly think that in your 30s, that you should be screened," she said.
Thank you for sharing Anna's story and sharing the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer! With allies like you, we will end this disease in our lifetime. TomorrowCantWait