March is colon cancer awareness month, and Friday, March 4, 2016, is national “Dress in Blue” day.
To raise awareness for the cause, the Kentucky Cancer Program is hosting their annual Dress in Blue Facebook photo contest during the month of March.
Cancer Control Specialist, Jaime Rafferty, says there’s a little friendly competition involved. Upload a photo of you, your office, family, school, pet or team dressed in blue to the Kentucky Cancer Program’s Facebook page and you could win $250.
Here’s how:
- Simply take a photo of your 2016 Dress in Blue Day event.
- Include a brief caption and send to your local KCP office. Your photo will be posted to the KCP Facebook Page.
- Encourage your friends, family and co-workers to vote for your photo by “Liking” the photo.
- The photo with the most “Likes” will be the winner!
- Find the entry form here.
The Dress in Blue Day program was first launched in 2009 to bring national attention to colon cancer. By “going blue”, KCP hopes to raise public awareness and educate people on the facts about colon cancer and how they can reduce their risk of the disease.
Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death. But it doesn’t have to be this way; through screening, it is one of the most preventable diseases.
“Even Cardinal fans can wear blue for a good cause.” – UofL Women’s Basketball Coach, Jeff Walz
Facts: (Compiled from the American Cancer Society’s Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures 2014-2016)
- Approximately 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colon cancer every year
- Colon cancer often has no symptoms until it’s at an advanced stage
- You can reduce your risk through regular screenings
- Beginning at age 50 (or earlier if you are high risk), everyone should talk to a doctor about getting a screening test for colon cancer
- There are currently more than one million colon cancer survivors in the United States
For more information, contact Jaime Rafferty at 270-683-2560, (fax) 270-683-2565 or [email protected] or visit kycancerprogram.org.