From: "Bob Cross"
To: All Friends - Past and Present
Sent: 3/3/2005 9:51 PM
Subject: Brother Bill

This letter is to share my heart-filled thoughts with all of my past and present friends. As you may know, my brother, Bill, was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and is now fighting for his life. And, all of this could have been avoided if Bill would not have been so macho and stubborn. For some reason men seem to think that it will be humiliating or embarrassing to have a colonoscopy. My brother is an educated person, but he failed to protect himself against cancer. However, guess what Bill is saying now about people who haven't had a colonoscopy. If you don't want to do it for yourself, then please have a colonoscopy for your family. This type of cancer is almost always curable if it is found in the early stages.

Another reason that people don't want to have a colonoscopy is that they have heard about how bad the gallon of liquid tastes that you have to drink before the test. WELL, I have wonderful news for you; they now have pills that you can take instead of drinking that nasty stuff. I have taken both and believe me it was a breeze to take 28 pills. Oh, by the way, there is no embarrassment or discomfort because you are asleep the whole time.

When your car needs a tune-up you will sit at a repair shop for 2 hours waiting on your car. Guess what, for my last colonoscopy I arrived at 6 AM and at 8 AM Cheryl was driving me home. Not bad considering how much my life is worth.

This is a silent killer and if you wait to have symptoms (like Bill) it is too late! For over 2 years Bill was having problems digesting food and having acid reflux and he tried all of the over the counter acid reflux medications with only minor relief. He even used wood blocks to raise the head of his bed and this seemed to help a little. So, he didn't go to a doctor until 2 years later when he had blood in his stool. The bottom line is if you have ANY stomach problems INSIST on a colonoscopy. Please don't put it off any longer, CANCER KNOWS NO AGE!

Oh, one more thing: women are not exempt from colon cancer, but they usually take better care of themselves when it comes to seeing doctors.

Sincerely,
Bob