JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. A local woman spoke to News4JAX about her brother who died from colorectal cancer.
Diagnosed at 27 years old Joshua Lee had love, he had support, and had a big smile. What his sister Zakela Mickens says they didn’t know he had was symptoms. In July 2015 he was diagnosed with cancer.
“Due to him being so young, they were like, OK, what is going on, because this is not common in people that are you know, so young, because you’re not really required to get a screening until you’re like 50, which the age was just dropped down to about 45 a few years ago. And so when they did the genetic screening on him, they saw that he had the ML h1 Lynch syndrome, which is a genetic mutation, that pretty much is an inherited genetic mutation that increases your risk of colon cancer, and other cancers as well,” Mickens said.
After six months of screenings, chemotherapy and Hospice, Joshua passed away at 28 years old. Almost 10 years later his sister is still sharing what she calls “Joshua’s Journey.”
She became a member of Fight Colorectal Cancer group. She went to D.C. to sit down with elected officials.
“Number one, to provide an increase of funding, which is $51 million for the CDC for the Colorectal Cancer Prevention Program. And then also for a $20 million ask, which is to create a program for the Department of Defense for the Cancer Research Program. And then also, the last one was to have them join the caucus,” Mickens said.
Mickens said more money means pushing the issue forward and getting programs started for community assistance. Early screenings and just knowing the problem can save lives.
Mayo Clinic says there are several signs someone may have Colorectal cancer.
They include a change in bowel habits, such as more frequent diarrhea or constipation; rectal bleeding or blood in the stool; discomfort in the stomach area; weakness or tiredness; and losing weight without trying.
Mayo Clinic also identifies some risk factors which include older age, having a family history of colon cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases, low fiber and high-fat diets, diabetes and obesity as well as smoking and alcohol use.