Thread by @FreedomFriesInc

(1) RIP actress Natalie Desselle-Reid, who died at just 53 from colon cancer. Her family's official statement on instagram is reported here:

people.com/movies/actress…

I routinely write about celebrity deaths from a perspective of raising medical awareness & saving lives.

(2) Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers and like others is often treatable if caught early enough.

If you have a known family history of it you should ask your doctor about screening options.

Risk generally increases with age, so those over 60* should do the same.

(3) I say 60 years of age without knowing what the current recommendation is in the US (where most of my readers live. Colon cancer can strike younger people, too.

Most of us never get screening out of fear of discomfort or embarrassment.

Our life can depend on it, though.

(4) Traditional colonoscopy methods involve what I delicately call "lower endoscopy," but a less-invasive imaging method is now available in most areas. It may or may not be as effective in finding cancer, so carefully consider your options with your doctor.

(5) Whatever colon cancer screening method used it's hard to reduce the discomfort levels to zero. Some of you are gonna reply & say you had no discomfort whatsoever, & that's great. Not everyone is so lucky.

If you're worried tell your doctor & insist he or she addresses it.

(6) Ensure the provider is properly accredited. There's cases of cancer being missed bc of medical errors. Colonoscopy is also used for non-cancer conditions.

Blood testing can be used to detect some kinds of cancer, but by the time it shows in a test, it might be too advanced.

(6) Women, get your pap smears. Men, get your prostate screening tests.

The latter can be done with a blood test and/or physical exam. The exam is not painful. If you're embarrassed about a quick prostate exam, please consider the risk of dying of cancer. Then book it, OK?

(7) Unfortunately the pandemic has led to a decrease in folk getting their routine cancer screening, worldwide.

There are many causes of this, including fear of visiting healthcare settings, if personnel are not using the right infection control protocols. I get it, trust me.

(8) Routine-wearing of masks that aren't rated or used properly is pointless and ultimately harmful, where it gives a false sense of security.

But in high risk places like healthcare settings, if everyone uses PPE (including eye protection) properly, the risk is very low.

(9) There's always a huge array of causes asking for our charity dollar. Medical research is funded by private investors, governments, and donations. When someone dies from cancer, a donation is often appreciated more than flowers.

If you can, donate to cancer causes regularly.

(10) After this tweet I'll add any general cancer screening information folk add in the replies. If you like, you can DM me about it and I'll add it anonymously.

We've all lost people to cancer & some of you have survived it yourself.

It's often NOT a death sentence.