The Colon Club’s 2012 Colondar Represents The Spike in Young Colon Cancer Diagnosis

Oct. 7, 2011 - PRLog -- According to the National Cancer Institute, although cases of colon cancer have declined over the past two decades, the number of people diagnosed under age 50 has dramatically jumped by 40%, with a 63% increase of rectal cancers in the same age group. The 2012 Colondar, a calendar produced by national nonprofit The Colon Club, shares the stories of twelve individuals who represent the tragic growing trend.

“This year’s calendar has one of our youngest groups so far; however, several of them were actually denied medical treatment or told that their symptoms were not indicators of cancer,” said Molly McMaster, president and co-founder of the Colon Club.

Faces of the Growing Colon Cancer Trend
The 2012 Colondar features twelve men and women who were surprised to learn they had colon cancer before they reached age 50. Miss July, Melissa Bates from Kewanee, IL was diagnosed with rectal cancer at age 20 although she had been denied doctors appointments and told she was “too young” to have cancer.  Mr. January, David Dubin, is a councilman from Haworth, NJ who was initially diagnosed with colon cancer at age 24 and has since survived two following cancers over the past two decades. Each model has a shocking story that shakes the security that youthfulness often brings.

“Our calendar is so much more than a way to track birthdays and holidays. The Colondar has become one of the most popular ways to provide encouragement to other colon cancer survivors and education to a nation, and medical community, who attributes colon cancer to an older generation,” said McMaster.

About The Colondar
The 2012 Colondar is the 8th calendar produced by the The Colon Club. Each year, models have revealed their stunning abdominal scars as a way to represent their strength and shocking journey. The Colondar has won several design awards and is respected throughout the colon cancer community and beyond. Dedicated to stage IV survivor Erika Kratzer, each year’s cover model, the Colondar furthers Kratzer’s mission to connect young survivors with one another and share a message of hope.

For More Information
To read more about each model’s story, visit http://www.colonclub.com. To request hi-resolution photographs or to set up interviews with models, please contact Danielle Burgess at (816) 729-7760. The 2012 Colondar costs $16.50, including shipping and handling, and is available for purchase at http://www.colonclub.com. All proceeds support the Colon Club in continuing their efforts to educate about colorectal cancer in “crazy ways.”

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The Colon Club is a New York State nonprofit founded in 2003 by Molly McMaster, a colon cancer survivor diagnosed on her 23rd birthday, and Hannah Vogler, a cousin of the late Amanda Sherwood Roberts who died of the disease at age 27. The Colon Club serves to educate as many people as possible, as early as possible, about colorectal cancer in interesting and out-of-the-box ways. The Colon Club is the creator of “Coco,” the Colossal Colon (a 40-foot-long, 4-foot-tall crawl-through of the human colon), as well as an active online message board for young patients and caregivers of impacted by colorectal cancer. For more information, visit http://www.colonclub.com.