 
“Cover Your Butt” and get Screened
March 2, 2009
 March
is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and the message from
Regional Cancer Care – Northwest is “Cover Your
Butt” by taking a simple test that could save your
life.
Regional Cancer Care, the Northern Cancer
Fund of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation
and RBC Royal Bank have teamed up again with a “cheeky”
campaign to promote colorectal cancer screening among men
and women age 50 and over in Northwestern Ontario.
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“The campaign this year encourages men and
women age 50 and over to talk to their healthcare
provider about Fecal Occult Blood Tests (FOBT),
which is a simple, take-home test that screens for
colorectal cancer. With high rates of colorectal
cancer in Northwestern Ontario, it is crucial for
people to know that when found early, colorectal
cancer can be 90 per cent curable,” says Alison
McMullen, Director of Prevention and Screening,
Regional Cancer Care.
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The campaign, created by Generator Design
and Advertising, presents common concerns or misconceptions
about colorectal cancer screening in a humorous way. Throughout
March 2009, “Cover Your Butt” will be seen on
billboards, in print and radio ads, on the back of buses
and online at www.coveryourbutt.ca.
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“Our goal is simple;
we want to save lives,” says Ken Bittle, Chair
of the Health Sciences Foundation’s Board of
Directors. “When people donate to the Northern
Cancer Fund, we strengthen the fight against cancer
by translating those gifts into education geared at
encouraging people to get screened.”
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When Donalda Seegewiss
agreed to be involved with this campaign’s predecessor,
the “Bottom Line”, she never knew that
just two years later she would be diagnosed with colorectal
cancer herself.
“The decision to get screened basically saved
my life, since the cancer was detected at an early
stage,” she says. |
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Dr. Heather McLean, family physician and Primary
Care Lead for Regional Cancer Care, says stories
like Donalda’s should motivate people to talk
with their healthcare provider about colorectal
cancer screening, and vice versa.
“A large part of my job is to work with other
physicians and other primary care providers in Northwestern
Ontario to ensure we are talking with our patients
about colorectal cancer screening” she says.
“Through this campaign, we’re hoping
to encourage people not only to talk with their
healthcare provider, but also help them realize
how easy it can be to take the first step, which
is completing a Fecal Occult Blood Test, or FOBT.”
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Learn More – Get Screened!
On March 12-14, Regional
Cancer Care is hosting a Colorectal Cancer and Health Expo
at Intercity Shopping Centre with informative booths and
speakers on colorectal cancer and screening, genetic testing,
and more.
On Saturday, March 14, Regional
Cancer Care and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit are
holding an integrated screening clinic at the health unit,
where people can drop in from 12 to 4 p.m. for breast, cervical
and colorectal cancer screening services.
For more information visit www.coveryourbutt.ca
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Cover Your Butt Expo Information ::
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