Killer Cramps: Colon Cancer
For this first unit of our STEAM course, Disease, we learned about the body's systems, and how diseases affect them. We read the book The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida, which is about a thirteen-year-old boy with autism. The boy is the author himself, and he gives us an inside look on the perspective of autistic people. For this action project, we were tasked with interviewing someone we know with firsthand or secondhand experience with a disease, and then research that disease and how it affects the body. Below is my Action Project.
Cancer occurs when healthy cells develop errors in their genetic blueprint: the DNA. Healthy cells grow and divide in an orderly way to keep your body functioning normally. When a cell's DNA is damaged and becomes cancerous, cells continue to divide — even when new cells aren't needed. As the cells accumulate, they form a tumor, which can be very deadly if not monitored or treated. Cancer is not a contagious disease because it only affects the cells of the specific patient.
I chose to study colon cancer because I recently learned that someone close to my family had died from it. Colon cancer affects the colon and the rectum, which together make up the large intestine in the digestive system. I decided to interview someone close to me on the topic, to learn more about his experience with the disease, as well as how it affected the family.
Studies of large groups of people have shown an association between a typical Western diet and an increased risk of colon cancer. African-Americans also have a greater risk of colon cancer than do people from different nationalities or cultures. You're also more likely to develop colon cancer if you have a relative with the disease. Other risks include if you're inactive, have diabetes, or are obese.
The great majority of people diagnosed with colon cancer are older than 50. The patient was 62 when he was diagnosed. He had severe abdominal pain over several days before he finally went to the doctor where he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He had never had a colonoscopy, and it was too late now to get one. In the interview, the patient's daughter explained that, “he was the type of person who didn’t go in for regular checkups." A colonoscopy is a type of exam used to check for colon cancer. If the patient had had one of these, the doctors might have been able to discover the cancer early and remove the polyps (abnormal tissue growths) before they formed into a tumor.
Colon cancer begins as small, benign, or non-cancerous, polyps that can become cancerous over time. Usually a tumor will form on the wall of the rectum or colon within the inner lining of the large intestine, causing a blockage to the colon and rectum. That’s what created the patient's abdominal pain. He had surgery that removed the cancerous tumor and part of his colon and then chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancerous cells.
He was frustrated with his cancer because it severely limited what he could do. He couldn’t leave the house and he couldn’t drive. The daughter of the patient said that “He felt like he lost his independence to this disease." The fear that came with the initial diagnosis turned to hopefulness after the treatment when my grandfather had a period of remission.
The cancer wasn’t just physically taxing on the patient; it also took an emotional and financial toll on him and his family. He was unable to work during and after treatment so his wife carried the financial burden for the two of them. During this time, his wife also had to be the caretaker and healthcare manager.
Throughout that time, he knew that he was living on borrowed time. He was always hoping for more time, that the cancer would not return. Unfortunately, the doctor later found that the cancer had returned and spread. Cancerous cells are able to travel to other parts of the body to form deposits there, increasing the chance of metastasis to other anatomical sites. The grieving began all over again, and the financial burden continued for my grandmother and family.
When his time finally came, he was heavily sedated since it’s quite painful to die of cancer. The cancer had spread so that it became incurable, and had spread to his liver and lungs. He was unconscious because of all the painkillers in him. He was at home in a hospital bed and his breathing became very shallow until his heart stopped and he passed away. His wife said to him, before he passed away, even though he was unconscious, “It’s ok, honey, you can go. We’ve done everything we can; you can go now.” His family was there when he passed, knowing that he was going to die soon, which was sad, yet comforting. He died while unconscious surrounded by his family and in his own home. It’s what he would have wanted. Until the end of his life he stayed positive, he relied heavily on his faith and focused on the love he had for his his family. He fought it until the very end, but the cancer became too much for him after it returned.
In conclusion, this project was interesting and enjoyable to complete. I knew little about colon cancer and cancer in general before this project, but now I know quite a bit about both and how we treat both. I got to learn more about my family history, and learned how to empathize better with someone who has a life-changing disease This was a challenging, yet fun project, and I liked it quite a bit in general.
“Colon Cancer.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 15 Nov. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353669.
“Colorectal Cancer Statistics.” World Cancer Research Fund, 12 Sept. 2018,
I chose to study colon cancer because I recently learned that someone close to my family had died from it. Colon cancer affects the colon and the rectum, which together make up the large intestine in the digestive system. I decided to interview someone close to me on the topic, to learn more about his experience with the disease, as well as how it affected the family.
Studies of large groups of people have shown an association between a typical Western diet and an increased risk of colon cancer. African-Americans also have a greater risk of colon cancer than do people from different nationalities or cultures. You're also more likely to develop colon cancer if you have a relative with the disease. Other risks include if you're inactive, have diabetes, or are obese.
The great majority of people diagnosed with colon cancer are older than 50. The patient was 62 when he was diagnosed. He had severe abdominal pain over several days before he finally went to the doctor where he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He had never had a colonoscopy, and it was too late now to get one. In the interview, the patient's daughter explained that, “he was the type of person who didn’t go in for regular checkups." A colonoscopy is a type of exam used to check for colon cancer. If the patient had had one of these, the doctors might have been able to discover the cancer early and remove the polyps (abnormal tissue growths) before they formed into a tumor.
Colon cancer begins as small, benign, or non-cancerous, polyps that can become cancerous over time. Usually a tumor will form on the wall of the rectum or colon within the inner lining of the large intestine, causing a blockage to the colon and rectum. That’s what created the patient's abdominal pain. He had surgery that removed the cancerous tumor and part of his colon and then chemotherapy to kill any remaining cancerous cells.
He was frustrated with his cancer because it severely limited what he could do. He couldn’t leave the house and he couldn’t drive. The daughter of the patient said that “He felt like he lost his independence to this disease." The fear that came with the initial diagnosis turned to hopefulness after the treatment when my grandfather had a period of remission.
The cancer wasn’t just physically taxing on the patient; it also took an emotional and financial toll on him and his family. He was unable to work during and after treatment so his wife carried the financial burden for the two of them. During this time, his wife also had to be the caretaker and healthcare manager.
Throughout that time, he knew that he was living on borrowed time. He was always hoping for more time, that the cancer would not return. Unfortunately, the doctor later found that the cancer had returned and spread. Cancerous cells are able to travel to other parts of the body to form deposits there, increasing the chance of metastasis to other anatomical sites. The grieving began all over again, and the financial burden continued for my grandmother and family.
When his time finally came, he was heavily sedated since it’s quite painful to die of cancer. The cancer had spread so that it became incurable, and had spread to his liver and lungs. He was unconscious because of all the painkillers in him. He was at home in a hospital bed and his breathing became very shallow until his heart stopped and he passed away. His wife said to him, before he passed away, even though he was unconscious, “It’s ok, honey, you can go. We’ve done everything we can; you can go now.” His family was there when he passed, knowing that he was going to die soon, which was sad, yet comforting. He died while unconscious surrounded by his family and in his own home. It’s what he would have wanted. Until the end of his life he stayed positive, he relied heavily on his faith and focused on the love he had for his his family. He fought it until the very end, but the cancer became too much for him after it returned.
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In conclusion, this project was interesting and enjoyable to complete. I knew little about colon cancer and cancer in general before this project, but now I know quite a bit about both and how we treat both. I got to learn more about my family history, and learned how to empathize better with someone who has a life-changing disease This was a challenging, yet fun project, and I liked it quite a bit in general.
Works Cited
“Colon Cancer.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 15 Nov. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20353669.
“Colorectal Cancer Statistics.” World Cancer Research Fund, 12 Sept. 2018,
www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer/cancer-trends/colorectal-cancer-statistics.
“Key Statistics for Colorectal Cancer.” American Cancer Society,
“Key Statistics for Colorectal Cancer.” American Cancer Society,
www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.html.
“Top Colorectal Cancer Causes & Factors That Put You at Risk.” CancerCenter.com, 15 Feb. 2019,
“Top Colorectal Cancer Causes & Factors That Put You at Risk.” CancerCenter.com, 15 Feb. 2019,
www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/colorectal-cancer/risk-factors.
UpToDate,
UpToDate,
www.uptodate.com/contents/colorectal-cancer-epidemiology-risk-factors-and-protective-factors.
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