I’m posting this not to elicit sympathy or support, though both are welcome, but as a kind of Public Service Announcement. Yeah I hate them too but this one is important so please read it.

Late last year my wife was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. As you can imagine, that wasn’t a fun day and we’ve been dealing with the repercussions ever since. The good news is her cancer was caught early and was confirmed as stage 1. According to the multitude of scans and tests she’s undergone, there is no longer detectable cancer in her body, which is a huge relief. However the chance of re-occurrence is fairly high. So right now she’s out of danger, but she has a tough choice to make about what level of intervention she will choose to prevent it from coming back, ranging from watching-and-waiting to major, life-changing surgery. She’s made her decision and maybe I’ll talk about that elsewhere, but that’s not relevant to this post. She’s strong, she’s amazing and she’s a survivor and we’ve been overwhelmed by the support from friends and family over the last few months. But that’s not what this post is about.

This is an appeal to everyone reading. Early detection is key. My wife is just over forty, and I know of several other folks under the recommended screening age (50) who have also been diagnosed with colon cancer. It’s no longer an “old people’s” disease. If left, it can be deadly. If caught early, it’s very survivable.

Readers of my blog will know that by a strange coincidence I’ve recently been working with the Colon Cancer Alliance. They will be the beneficiary of Fantasy For Good, and we selected them long before we suspected my wife might end up needing their services. You can imagine how much more personal that project has become. The CCA has some excellent resources on their site. In particular, here is a list of signs and symptoms you should be aware of. Please take 2 minutes to read it and you could avoid a world of pain. If you’re over 40 or you have concerns, I urge you to talk to your doctor and request a colonoscopy. They’re not much fun but a hell of a lot better than the alternative.

Thank you for your attention.