WYOMING, Mich. — A giant, inflatable colon was set up at University of Michigan Health-West during a community event Friday to educate about anatomy and common colon diseases.
The educational display is large enough to walk through. Inside, there are displays of what polyps, colon cancer and Crohn's disease looks like on the wall of the colon.
"A lot of people don't even understand what the colon does or where it's located or why it's important to our health," said Benji Raap, LGBTQIA and HIV positive navigator at the Cancer Prevention and Control Project with Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). "So, what we want to do is bring it and put it in your face. There's no better way than having a giant colon, right?"
Colon cancer is the third-most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Rates of the cancer have increased steadily since the 1990s. Thomas Riley, a gastroenterologist with University of Michigan Health-West, said the reasons for the growth are unknown.
"One of the issues that we face in our country now is that up to 30% of our population does not get screened on a regular basis for colon cancer," said Riley. "So, that's really, really not good."
The American Cancer Society recommends regular screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 45.
"A lot of us are nervous about talking about that part of your body," said Raap. "If something's upset, we tend to say, 'Oh, I ate something bad.' If something's upset for several weeks, though, you need to be safe to talk to your family, your friends and specifically, your health care provider."
Colin the Colin has been traveling around Pride festivals and other locations in Michigan since 2023. The goal is to engage the viewer in the topic in a way they will not forget.
"It's not a sexy thing to talk about, right? Colon cancer screening," said Riley. "It's not a pleasant thing to talk about. So, we want to just bring it in mind to patients that the colon cancer screening is really very beneficial, highly effective."