The Alliant: December 2022

#TheyDidntSay

Colorectal cancer strikes Black Americans harder than nearly any other group. Black Americans are almost 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 35% more likely to die from it than non-Hispanic whites.

To spotlight the lowered screening age, reduced from 50 to 45 years old, and to raise awareness of colorectal cancer in this community, the Alliance partnered with four Black American influencers to launch #TheyDidn’tSay, an education and awareness-building campaign. #TheyDidntSay shared some of the unspoken realities of colorectal cancer and aimed to drive up screenings through short videos and reels on social media.

In total, due to your generous support, we reached nearly 500,000 people and reported more than 280 million social media impressions. Viewers shared their own stories about colorectal cancer and thanked our influencers for using their platforms to speak out and spread the word.

Learn more about #TheyDidntSay here.

LEAD FROM BEHIND

We Made Colon Cancer Famous

This year, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney got their first colonoscopies since turning 45 years old — the age at which a person of average risk should begin colorectal cancer screening.

The result, a nearly seven-minute video — complete with hospital gowns, postoperative delirium, and a life-saving message — dropped on September 13 and marked the launch of the LEAD FROM BEHIND colon cancer awareness initiative.

Because of you, LEAD FROM BEHIND, powered by the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, is the biggest and boldest awareness initiative ever created for colon cancer.

The video has been viewed more than 16 million times and shared by nearly 200 media outlets, with 3.3 billion impressions. The message was simple: Colon cancer is “The Preventable Cancer.”

Learn more about LEAD FROM BEHIND on the initiative's website.

Let’s Get Checked/Cologuard

Screening from the comfort of home

Last year, Exact Sciences and LetsGetChecked made a significant investment in the Alliance and our work to address health disparities. This incredible gift, a combination of funding and test kits, allowed us to provide more than 13,000 free at-home screening kits to those in need of screening. Your contributions supported Patient and Family Support navigators who were available to provide guidance and assistance to those testing positive who needed our support to access a follow-up colonoscopy.

Learn more about Let's Get Checked.

From fearful to full of hope

Andrew Coddett worried constipation and blood in his stool meant the worst. He had already lost two sisters to colorectal cancer and feared for his own future. Given his family history, doctors in Guyana wanted to skip a colonoscopy and go straight to an aggressive treatment – removing his entire colon and giving him a permanent ostomy.

Andrew turned to his sister-in-law, Anita, a hospital case worker here in the United States for help. Anita knew to connect Andrew with the Colorectal Cancer Alliance. You, our dedicated Allies, gave Andrew the support to receive a colonoscopy, which removed five pre-cancerous polyps.

Thanks to you, Andrew remains cancer-free with his entire colon intact.

The Alliance has supported even more people in need with free or low-cost colonoscopies. Because of your support, we can help patients seeking screenings before they face deadly or debilitating consequences. Thanks to you, Andrew and so many others have hope for futures without colorectal cancer.

Take the Alliance's screening quiz to find out when and how you should get screened!

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