April 20, 2006

PHOTO OP

You too can prevent colon cancer

While it probably isn’t an epidemic, it seems lately that more and more people are stricken with colon cancer. To help people see the changes that can happen in your colon, the Michael A. Gard Foundation is sponsoring a visit from Coco.

Visitors can crawl through the giant organ and see Crohn’s disease, diverticulosis, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, cancerous and non-cancerous polyps and various stages of colon cancer.

Coco is the affectionate name for the Colossal Colon, a 40-foot long, 4-foot tall oversized model of the human colon that will be in San Jose at the Camden Community Center on April 27-28.

The colon is designed to educate people about colorectal cancer and other diseases of the colon. Visitors can crawl through the giant organ and see Crohn’s disease, diverticulosis, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, cancerous and non-cancerous polyps and various stages of colon cancer.

The two-day event will be held at the Camden Community Center, 3369 Union Ave. on Thursday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Friday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Call (408) 559-8553 for directions.

Volunteers will be on hand to answer questions. Education brochures will be available. The event is free to the public. Food and beverages will be available.

Several firms are helping support the event including the American Cancer Society’s Colon Cancer Free Zone Committee, Xilinx Corporation and Good Samaritan Hospital. But the major sponsor is the Michael A. Gard Foundation. The foundation is named for Michael Gard, an Almaden Valley resident who passed away in July, 2000 of colon cancer at the age of 53.

For more information, call Diane Gard at (408) 313-9997.