Bowling event raises $6,700 for colon cancer screenings
The inaugural Strike Out Colon Cancer bowling fundraiser hosted by Northwest Community Healthcare this month raised $6,700 for the Northwest Community Healthcare Foundation's Colorectal Screening Fund.
The fund provides assistance to people in need who cannot afford their first colonoscopy to screen for colorectal cancer.
About 175 people attended the event Sunday, March 3, at the Brunswick Zone in Mount Prospect to support friends and family and remember those lost to colon cancer.
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer - or colon and rectal cancer - is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. It's also the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
Yet, it's estimated that 60 percent of colorectal cancer deaths could be prevented with regular screening for the disease.
Some who attended the event were there to remember their loved ones lost to the disease and help bring awareness to the importance of screenings. Others were Northwest Community Healthcare leadership and employees, including Northwest Community Healthcare Colorectal Surgeon Scott Pinchot, M.D., who organized the event and came with his twin brother, an interventional radiologist in Madison, Wisconsin.
"We couldn't believe how many people turned out to support colon health," Dr. Pinchot says. "It was especially great to see familiar faces, like patients who have beaten colon cancer and were there to encourage others."
"To witness families so personally affected with colon cancer come out to support the event and turn it into such a celebration made it so much more meaningful for me," adds Khriscia McCune, Northwest Community Healthcare Colorectal Patient Navigator.
Top bowlers received prizes ranging from wine tasting and Ravinia tickets to gifts cards, a massage and a three-month membership at the Northwest Community Healthcare Wellness Center. A Chicago Bears helmet signed by Eddie Jackson also was raffled.
If you'd like to donate to the Northwest Community Healthcare Colorectal Cancer Fund, visit nch.org/donate and choose "Strike Out Colon Cancer" in the designation field.