U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) spoke to the Fight Colorectal Cancer advocates during their annual ‘Call On Congress’ Hill Day this week. March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Davis' wife, Shannon, was diagnosed with a rare form of colon cancer at age 26 and he has continued to be an advocate for early detection and research.
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Davis speaks to Fight Colorectal Cancer advocates during their annual Call On Congress Hill Day.
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"I understand why you are all here and what you're fighting for because my wife is a 19-year survivor," Davis said. "In Congress, I am promoting policies that encourage early detection through screening and tests, along with supporting critical research, so that one day no families will have to go through what my family, and so many other families, have gone through."
Davis has made it a priority to fight colon cancer in Congress by increasing early detection through screenings. He has also supported additional funding for the National Institute of Health (NIH) for research and the 21st Century Cures Act, passed in 2016, which modernizes our health care infrastructure and accelerates the approval process for new drug development, medical devices, and other treatments.
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Davis meets three moms who all lost children to young-onset colorectal cancer.
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After his presentation, Davis met several survivors including three moms who all lost children to young-onset colorectal cancer. While colorectal cancer has declined by nearly 30% in adults over 50, it has significantly increased in young people over the last decade and is expected to spike 40% by 2020. Most young-onset cases are diagnosed at a late stage, often due to misdiagnosis, and the survival rate is poor. Davis has urged the NIH National Cancer Institute to fund more research for young-onset cases, and advocating for the use of new technology to increase screenings for young people in order to diagnose patients earlier.
Additionally, Davis is a member of the Fight CRC's Congressional Advisory Committee. In 2016, the Shannon was featured in the Beyond Blue magazine, a publication focused on fighting colon cancer, where Shannon shared her battle and the struggles families face when a loved one is diagnosed with cancer.
Read the full article, 'Blessings in Disguise,' in Beyond Blue.
