by Ward Mullens, Published March 16, 2009 YPSILANTI —It’s a
grassroots movement to stop a killer. The killer is colorectal
cancer, the second leading cause of death among cancer patients,
surpassed only by lung cancer. Colorectal cancer (CRC) can
largely be prevented through proper screening. However, about 40
percent of adults have never been screened for colorectal cancer
as recommended, and this number is even higher among
minority/underserved populations. In observance of Colorectal
Cancer Awareness Month in March, Eastern Michigan University
started an innovative intervention to promote CRC screening in
Ypsilanti School District schools. The students at the Ypsilanti
High School and Lincoln Consolidated High School and Middle
School were trained to become colon health ambassadors and wrote
letters to their loved ones to deliver important messages about
the importance of colorectal cancer screenings for all people 50
and older. “We have reached more than 1,600 students in the
Lincoln and Ypsilanti high sc