Lourdes Hosts World Premiere of “Finley Gets a Colonoscopy” Video
Camden, NJ (PRWEB) May 05, 2014 -- As they kick-off the 2014 season with a home game at 7:05 tonight, the Camden Riversharks baseball team is helping to raise awareness of the importance of colon cancer screening. Dr. Donald Petroski, gastroenterologist at Lourdes, gives Finley, Camden Riversharks’ mascot, a “colonoscopy.” The video shows Finley’s “doctor’s visit and instructions for the bowel prep,” “checking-in, getting prepped for the procedure and being wheeled to the OR,” and his “post-procedure results.” Like all short-procedure patients, Finley needs a buddy to drive him home, so he is accompanied by his fellow mascot, Blooper.
The goal of the video is to show patients how simple colonoscopy can be. Colorectal cancer is second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US. While colonoscopy is the gold standard and the most powerful weapon in colon cancer prevention and detection, a large percentage of the population is not being tested. Together, Lourdes and the Camden Riversharks hope to educate the public about the importance of this life-saving test.
“There are multiple options for colon cancer screening,” says Dr. Petroski. “The best test is the one that gets done. A large percentage of population is not getting tested. Some think because they have no symptoms and no family history, why get screened? Or ‘if I have colon cancer, there’s nothing I can do, so why bother getting screened?’ But there is something that can be done. Early detection can save your life. Colon cancer is not a disease of older people or of men alone. It’s easy to want a shortcut, but there is none. I can’t stress enough how important it is to be screened for colon cancer.”
Dr. Petroski urges people to talk with their health care provider about when to begin screening for colorectal cancer, which test to have and how often to be screened.
Finley already has his next colonoscopy screening marked on his calendar.
Jennifer McGowan-Smith, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, http://www.lourdesnet.org, +1 (267) 221-3648, [email protected]
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