Wolves’ team up with Cancer Care Ontario
The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Sudbury Wolves have joined with Cancer Care Ontario and local cancer programs to take a slap shot at colorectal cancer.
During the last week of March – Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – the Sudbury Wolves are urging fans to get their butts into the game by being screened for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death and the third most diagnosed cancer in Ontario.
“We are very proud to be affiliated with this important initiative to create a greater awareness of the critical importance of early diagnosis of this cancer. You can beat it if you catch it early,” says Sudbury Wolves owner, Mark Burgess. “Anything we can do to make a difference, we are happy to do!”
ColonCancerCheck (CCC) is Canada’s first organized provincial colorectal cancer screening program. For those 50 and older at average risk for the disease, effective screening – through a simple Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT), combined with a colonoscopy for those with a positive FOBT – can reduce colorectal cancer deaths in Ontario by 16 per cent.
“We applaud Mark and the team for getting the message out to their fans,’ adds Koop Alkema, Manager of the Preventive Oncology and Screening Division (POSD) and Chair of the Cancer Prevention and Screening Network (CPSN). “And the message is a simple one. Get an FOBT kit and get checked. Don’t get left behind!”
When colorectal cancer is caught early, there is a 90 per cent chance that the person who has it can be cured.
The Sudbury Wolves and the regional cancer program are putting on several activities during the first two home playoff games March 28th and 29th. The two organizations are teaming up with the Canadian Cancer Society to take a slap shot at colorectal cancer. A display/information kiosk will offer CCC materials and special announcements will be delivered through the jumbotron throughout the games.
With colorectal cancer screening, using an FOBT stick could save your life. It never hurts to check. For more information on cancer screening, go to: http://www.cancercare.on.ca/pcs/screening/coloscreening/