According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, roughly 150,000 people will receive a colon cancer diagnosis this year alone. What’s significant about awareness campaigns such as Colon Cancer Awareness Month is the potential to eradicate a disease — particularly one that’s considered highly preventable.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- What Is Colon Cancer Awareness Month?
- When Is Colon Cancer Awareness Month?
- What is the Ribbon Color for Colon Cancer?
- Ideas for Ways to Participate In Colon Cancer Awareness Month
This movement can never have too many volunteers and participants. The more individuals from all walks of life that come together to recognize important issues, the more progress we can make.
In this post, we’ll discuss what Colon Cancer Awareness Month is, when it is, what color to wear to show your support, and activities you can participate in. Whether you’re able to lend a lot of time and resources or just share a few words with a neighbor, you can make a difference.
What Is Colon Cancer Awareness Month?
Colon Cancer Awareness Month, also known as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, is a crucial movement toward eradicating colorectal cancer and disease. This movement is now 20 years old, and efforts are still as critical as ever.
How did Colon Cancer Awareness Month start?
In February 2000, President Clinton officially dedicated March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Since then, it has grown to be a rallying point for the colon cancer community.
Thousands of patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates throughout the country join together to spread colon cancer awareness by wearing blue, holding fundraising and education events, talking to friends and family about screening, and much more.
When Is Colon Cancer Awareness Month?
Colon Cancer Awareness Month falls annually in March. Dress In Blue Day, a nationally recognized movement to call attention to colon cancer, falls on March 5th.
March 5th, 2021 began the first annual Blue Bag Lunch to honor beloved actor Chadwick Boseman. Boseman passed away from colon cancer in 2020.
Due to the COVID pandemic, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance has an ongoing initiative for people to pledge to complete life-saving screenings. Effective screening for diseases such as this one is what can make colon cancer preventable.
What is the Ribbon Color for Colon Cancer?
Blue represents a nation of allies who stand firm and determined to end this disease within our lifetimes. Blue is the preferred ribbon color and is also reflected in Dress in Blue Day and Blue Bag Lunch day.
Ideas for Ways to Participate In Colon Cancer Awareness Month
By familiarizing yourself with this cause or participating in awareness month activities as an individual or a group, you can undoubtedly cause a ripple effect and diminish the impact of this disease. The effect may not seem extensive nor immediate, but will certainly be felt throughout your community. Check out the following actions for how to participate in Colon Cancer Awareness Month.
Dress in blue
If you’ve missed Dress In Blue Day this year, don’t worry. You can still wear blue all throughout March. If March has passed, you can find official Colorectal Cancer Alliance merchandise or items from fightcolorectalcancer.org to continue to support the cause yearlong.
Pack blue bag lunches
In solidarity with the Colorectal Cancer Association’s efforts, you can pack your own blue bag lunches to raise awareness. You can share these social media posts provided by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance with your friends, family, and coworkers. Or, consider printing and attaching them to any lunches you pack for others.
Make donations or fundraise
Making donations and fundraising is a fantastic way to lend tangible support to a cause you care about. You can donate directly to the colorectal cancer alliance or similar causes. You can also contribute to the American Cancer Society. More significant impact can also be achieved through fundraising efforts, bake sales, auctions, and more.
However, not all worthwhile work has to have a monetary value. You can boost awareness during Colon Cancer Awareness Month by donating your time to others, completing random acts of kindness, and name-dropping the cause. You can encourage those in your circle to do their research about colon and colorectal cancer, get screened, and educate them on how preventable these diseases really are.
Share or write poems about cancer
Writing is very healing for many people, and many find a different level of peace in poetry. Poetry has far fewer rules than other forms of writing, and it may come easier to you. Feel free to check over these cancer poems for inspiration or to share with your loved ones.
Sharing work like this can connect you to others who are dealing with the same emotions and hardships. Vulnerability can be terrifying, but it also provides great strength.
Get a memorial tattoo
Getting a tattoo, specifically cancer memorial tattoos, can be an impactful way to honor a loved one. If you have never gotten a tattoo before, a memorial one is a perfect way to begin. You can also gradually get work done on a larger piece or even get small pieces done over time that remind you of your loved one. The meaning doesn’t have to be evident to others. It can be something personal between the two of you.
Send gifts to cancer patients
Sending gifts to cancer patients can make you and everyone else feel good. It’s true that it’s far better to give than receive. However, you don’t need to worry about hand-picking the perfect gift. The gesture in itself is far more important. These gifts don’t have to be solemn. In fact, many patients and their families would likely welcome some humor. Consider a funny gift for a cancer patient.
Write a letter to a late loved one
If you’ve lost a spouse to cancer or someone else close to you, it may help you to write a letter to him or her. Going and visiting them where they’re buried, where their cremains are, or another location where you feel their presence may be healing in some aspects. There’s likely a lot you still have to say. Even if you don’t send them, writing letters can help you unearth deep emotions and make sense of what you’re really feeling.
Unity Is Crucial
To eradicate our world from illness, especially those that are preventable, we have to join in a united front. Whether you get involved this year for Colon Cancer Awareness Month or in another subsequent year — be proud that you’re doing your part. Furthermore, your participation can easily inspire someone else in your circle to get out there and do the same.
For resources on challenging conversations and end-of-life care decisions, check out the rest of Cake’s blog. Or, you can create a digital end-of-life plan for yourself or a loved one on Cake’s free platform.
Sources:
- Dress in Blue Day. Colorectal Cancer Alliance Organization. https://www.ccalliance.org/about/awareness-month/dress-in-blue-day
- Colorectal Cancer Alliance. The Social Press Kit. https://thesocialpresskit.com/colorectal-cancer-alliance
- Colorectal Cancer Information Facts and Statistics. Colorectal Cancer Alliance Organization. https://www.ccalliance.org/colorectal-cancer-information/facts-and-statistics
- Colon cancer t-shirts and more. Fightcolorectalcancer.org. https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/store/