Angie Jones listened to her UCLA Health primary care doctor when she was told she was due for her first colonoscopy, which the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends most people get at age 45, instead of 50 as previously advised.
She is very glad she did.
During the exam, doctors found a large pre-cancerous polyp which was promptly removed, and regular monitoring continues to show no evidence of disease.
The 53-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, a lifelong Dodgers fan who began attending games with her father when she was a child, was delighted to share her story and promote the importance of screening at a preseason Dodgers-Angels game where she toured the stadium with her family and threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Angie was subsequently also honored at one of the first official games of the 2023 season.
“Since African-Americans are particularly at risk for colorectal cancer, getting the message out that screening saves lives is especially important,” said Jones. “I’m living proof of that.”
Colorectal cancer in the third leading cause of cancer, and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Blacks are about 20% more likely to get the disease and about 40% more likely to die from it than other ethnic groups.
This form of cancer, however, is largely preventable with screening.
