My dad’s first cousin died within four months of being diagnosed with colon cancer. We urged my dad to get a colonoscopy. He canceled his appointments seven times, until I changed his primary treating physician, and that Dr forced him to go. My dad had bloody diarrhea daily for at least a year. He finally went for a colonoscopy on September 11, 2021. It took longer than expected and I was anxious. The Dr came out and told me he couldn’t proceed with the colonoscopy. I was angry because I was pretty sure my father didn’t complete the prep. When I started to ask why the procedure couldn’t be done, the Dr proceeded to show me pictures of my father’s tumor. This tumor was blocking his colon and the reason the colonoscopy couldn’t proceed. The Dr felt it was probably stage four and from his eyes and tone, I knew it was bad, maybe even too late. I started throwing up in a trash can and shaking. I had to tell my dad on the way home and it was one of the first things. He died March 12, 2024. His Drs were amazed he made it that long – though his labs were fine. The joke was he was perfectly healthy except he had stage four colon cancer. He was even able to get an eight month break from chemo, which he required every three weeks. Cancer doesn’t just affect the person afflicted, it affects their family too. It affects them mentally, physically, financially too. I am on my second colonoscopy (every 3 years) and it really can save your life.