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Niagara Falls to turn blue for Colon Cancer Awareness Month

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Fri, Mar 4th 2016 10:20 am

Blue light will illuminate Niagara Falls at 10 p.m., Friday March 4, in recognition of National Colon Cancer Awareness Month.

To draw more attention to the cause, elected officials and speakers will gather at 11 a.m. Friday at the Niagara Falls Visitor Center, 332 Prospect St., Niagara Falls.

U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, state Sen. Rob Ortt, Niagara County Assemblyman John D. Ceretto, Legislator Dennis Virtuoso, City of Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster and City of Niagara Falls Councilman Charles Walker will be present.

Special remarks will be given by Mark Thomas, western region director of the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, and Dr. Yogesh Maheshwari, medical director at the Endoscopy Center of Niagara.

The event is being put on by the Cancer Services Program of Niagara County to raise awareness that colon cancer is the second-leading cancer killer in New York, and yet, it is preventable. Screening and testing for colon cancer can help discover growths (also known as polyps), which can be removed before becoming cancer. In fact, more than half of deaths resulting from colon cancer could be prevented with regular screening.

In New York, one out of four adults ages 50-75 years old has never received colon cancer screening tests.

The Cancer Services Program of Niagara County provides free colon cancer screenings to uninsured men and women ages 50-64. It also works to increase breast and cervical cancer screenings among residents of Niagara County through public education, policy and system changes, and the provision of free screenings for the uninsured.

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