INDIANAPOLIS – Kim Goelz was shocked when her doctor broke the news to her: she had stage III colon cancer and soon would be in for the fight for her life.
“I was stunned,” said the 35-year-old wife and mother of two. “I had no family history and no major health issues, and yet here I was diagnosed with colon cancer.”
Goelz is among more than 112,000 Americans diagnosed each year with colon cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. She immediately sought medical help when she experienced symptoms and her family physician encouraged her to get a colonoscopy which detected the cancer.
Early detection is the key to successfully treating and surviving colon cancer – and that’s why the St. Francis Colorectal Cancer Center of Excellence is offering free risk assessments to the public.
Screenings will be at Greenwood Park Mall Food Court 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 1; and 8:30 a.m. to noon, Monday March 3; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 8 at Meijer at Heartland Crossing in Camby.
The free assessments coincide with the observance of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
“Screening for colon cancer is highly effective, and one of the key objectives of our center is to increase awareness of the risks of colorectal cancers,” said medical director Michael Morelli, M.D. “Colonoscopy should be part of routine care for everyone who is 50 and older, or earlier for those with a significant family history.”
Goelz was treated with a combination of therapies by St. Francis physicians and she is determined to be among the 70 percent who survive colon cancer. And she’s grateful she didn’t ignore the early warning sign.
“It scares me to think what would have happened if I had waited,” she said. “I had no pain or other symptoms.”
For more information about the free risk assessments, call 317-782-4422.
The Colorectal Cancer Center of Excellence team includes more than 25 physician specialists including gastroenterologists, colorectal surgeons, general surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, family practice physicians and radiologists. They are committed to the prevention, early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer, with a focus on providing the highest quality and individualized care for each patient.
For more information about St. Francis Cancer Care Services, go to http://stfrancishospitals.org/cancer.
“I was stunned,” said the 35-year-old wife and mother of two. “I had no family history and no major health issues, and yet here I was diagnosed with colon cancer.”
Goelz is among more than 112,000 Americans diagnosed each year with colon cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. She immediately sought medical help when she experienced symptoms and her family physician encouraged her to get a colonoscopy which detected the cancer.
Early detection is the key to successfully treating and surviving colon cancer – and that’s why the St. Francis Colorectal Cancer Center of Excellence is offering free risk assessments to the public.
Screenings will be at Greenwood Park Mall Food Court 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, March 1; and 8:30 a.m. to noon, Monday March 3; and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, March 8 at Meijer at Heartland Crossing in Camby.
The free assessments coincide with the observance of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
“Screening for colon cancer is highly effective, and one of the key objectives of our center is to increase awareness of the risks of colorectal cancers,” said medical director Michael Morelli, M.D. “Colonoscopy should be part of routine care for everyone who is 50 and older, or earlier for those with a significant family history.”
Goelz was treated with a combination of therapies by St. Francis physicians and she is determined to be among the 70 percent who survive colon cancer. And she’s grateful she didn’t ignore the early warning sign.
“It scares me to think what would have happened if I had waited,” she said. “I had no pain or other symptoms.”
For more information about the free risk assessments, call 317-782-4422.
The Colorectal Cancer Center of Excellence team includes more than 25 physician specialists including gastroenterologists, colorectal surgeons, general surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, family practice physicians and radiologists. They are committed to the prevention, early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer, with a focus on providing the highest quality and individualized care for each patient.
For more information about St. Francis Cancer Care Services, go to http://stfrancishospitals.org/cancer.
