Lee Health 12-foot-high inflatable colon serves as reminder to get screened

It’s a huge display to promote cancer prevention this month. Lee Health is holding a two-day event, putting a 12-foot-high inflatable colon right in your path as a reminder to get your screening.

The chance of you or someone you know getting colon cancer may be higher than you think.

The giant 12-foot-high inflatable colon covers the sidewalk at the entrance to Lee Health Coconut Point, grabbing your attention. And that’s the point to get peoples’ attention and educate them on colorectal cancer.

Clinical Support Service Director Tammy Zinn’s job is to explain to people what they are looking at.

“This would be if you have advanced colon cancer, what it looks like whenever they’re doing your colonoscopy of visual tests,” Zinn explained.  Crohn’s disease, if you have hereditary risk factors, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel, lynch syndrome, it shows you that you have lesions on the inside of the colon, which are very painful that could put you at an increased risk of developing colon cancer.”

The CDC says colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women, but it can be prevented.

Alicia Fogel is the Oncology Outreach Education and Marketing Coordinator for Lee Health Regional Cancer Center, said, “As long as you get your screenings and it’s caught in time, then you can prevent cancer from occurring.”

The goal of this event is to increase colorectal screenings.

The American Cancer Society recommends men and women to start getting colorectal cancer testing at age 45 if they have no other risk factors.

If nothing is found, you can go up to 10 years without another test.