|
 At his wife, Ruthie’s, insistence John finally relented and
completed a colorectal cancer screening kit, which Ruthie picked up
for him at a screening kit giveaway event in 2019. His test came
back positive for blood in the stool. Ruthie immediately scheduled a
colonoscopy for John.
Following a series of appointments at Passavant for scans and
consultation, John underwent surgery to remove a section of his
large intestine. His cancer was caught early, which made a
significant difference in how quickly he was able to complete
treatment and return to his active life.
Passavant Area Hospital, along with the four other hospitals in
Memorial Health System, will once again offer colon cancer kits at
drive-through giveaways from late July through mid-August.
People picking up the kits from the nonprofit hospitals should
remain in their vehicles and wear masks. They can complete the
screenings in their homes and mail the kits back to the hospitals.
Staff will wear personal protective equipment during the
distribution. The kits will be available while supplies last.
The times and dates at each hospital are:
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital:
9 a.m. to noon
Wednesday, Aug. 5,
200 Stahlhut Drive,
217-605-5008.
Decatur Memorial Hospital:
8 to 10 a.m.
Friday, Aug. 14,
210 W. McKinley Drive,
217-876-4750.
Memorial Medical Center:
10 a.m. to noon,
Tuesday, July 28,
Senior Services of Central Illinois,
Door No. 2,
701 W. Mason St.,
Springfield.
Call Barb Hipsher at 217-528-4035 to reserve your test kit.
[to top of second column] |
Passavant Area Hospital:
4 to 6 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 6, and
Friday, Aug. 7,
9 to 11 a.m.
1600 W. Walnut St., Jacksonville
circle drive at the main entrance
217-479-5800.
Taylorville Memorial Hospital:
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 14
drive up to the hospital’s Main Lobby at 201 E. Pleasant St.,
217-707-5272.
Rick factors for colon cancer include being age 50 or older, having a family
history of colon cancer, heavy alcohol use, being overweight or a smoker.
The screening kits do not substitute for a colonoscopy, the best method to
detect colorectal cancer. Regularly scheduled screenings in the form of
colonoscopies can prevent cancer from developing if precancerous polyps are
detected and removed before they become cancer. Regular screenings can also find
cancer in its earliest stages when it can be treated.
For John Werries, who had his colon cancer surgery on his 72nd birthday,
stubbornness kept him from getting a colonoscopy.
“Yes, I should have been getting the colonoscopies and doing the screening, but
I don’t like to go to the doctor or to the hospital. I just didn’t want to do
it,” said the Morgan County corn and soybean producer.
An avid pilot, John flies a Cessna 182 four-seat plane and meets with a group of
fellow pilots at Jacksonville Municipal Airport each week. He’s become an
advocate for getting a colonoscopy.
“They all know my story. I can’t say I pointed a finger at each of them and
said, ‘You need to be tested,’ but they know my story,” Werries said.
[Memorial Health System] |
