Giant colon with a mission returns to area

STEUBENVILLE -- A group of students from Trinity School of Nursing took an unusual field trip Thursday.

They went inside a giant inflatable colon that was part of an educational exhibit on display at the Prime Time Senior Center at 300 Lovers Lane, Steubenville.

The 10-foot high, 20-foot long and 10-foot wide "colon" was set up inside the facility for a guided come-and-see experience, as part of learning about the risks, symptoms, prevention and early detection for colon cancer.

The visit was made possible, courtesy of a collaborative effort between the Women in Action Against Cancer Coalition of Jefferson County, the James Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and Trinity Health System.

"We brought it here in June, but Dr. (Himanshu) Desai said why don't we bring it back in March, which is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and we're actually going to sign people up if they need a free colonoscopy, if they meet the right criteria. which is over 50, uninsured, low income," explained Janet Sharpe, co-chair of the WIAACC along with Leslie Aftanas.

"We're hoping to have a big crowd. We also have students coming from one of the high schools, from Trinity School of Nursing and from Franciscan (University of Steubenville), strictly for the educational part because they're not old enough for the colonoscopy," Sharpe said at the start of Thursday's event.

Melissa Dadaian, program coordinator for the Center for Cancer Health Equity at OSU, was on hand Thursday to answer questions and provide tours.

"We know in Jefferson County 68 percent of people who are eligible to be screened are currently getting screened, so we would love that number to be 80 percent or higher in the future so people should speak with their health care provider about getting screened," Dadaian said.

Elaborating on the goal of the display, Dadaian said "We'd love to educate as many folks in the community to come through, see the colon, get them thinking about getting screened."

Eligibility for those in need of a free colonoscopy include the following:

≤ Over 50 years of age or 40 years of age with other risk factors;

≤ No health insurance;

≤ No screening colonoscopy within the last 10 years; and

≤ First come, first served.

For consideration, call (740) 266-7100 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. The cutoff for calls will be March 13.

The inflatable display was complemented by information tables set up by the coalition, which offered brochures and healthy snacks such as apples and sold T-shirts.

The colon offered up-close visuals of what healthy colon tissue, colorectal diseases and stages of colorectal cancer would look like.

OSU purchased the colon in 2016 and has been taking it to communities with colon cancer disparities during the past few years. Its visits have reached more than 3,000 residents in Ohio.

Last year, a total of 116 community members were provided a guided tour at the Steubenville site, according to Sharpe. That included 44 males, 72 females, 12 people under 50 and 104 older than 50.

Excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and women in the United States.

Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about one in 22 for men and one in 24 for women.

For information on the coalition, contact Sharpe by phone at (740) 632-1144 or by e-mail to janetsharpe@yahoo.com.