North Texas woman advocates for colon cancer awareness in young adults in memory of her brother
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month – a time to stress the importance of education and screenings, especially for young adults in their 20s and 30s.
While there is no one-size-fits-all explanation for why millennials are at a higher risk, Jenna White, of Keller, is making it her mission to carry out her brother's legacy.
Evan White died from colon cancer days before his 29th birthday.
"He was really good about, you know, putting on a smile for everyone else, so just to be there and see kind of behind the scenes of what cancer treatment is really like and how difficult it was really eye-opening," Jenna White, Evan's sister, said.
Evan White's family and friends wear blue to support a cause that's near and dear to them. Each year they host an annual golf tournament and bar crawl in honor of Evan and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
This March, Evan's family and friends raised $67,000 during their annual fundraiser and set a new record.
"He was diagnosed at the age of 24 and so that was quite the shock to the family because we had no family history," White said.
More than a fighter of one of the top three deadliest cancers, Evan loved to travel, music, and his dog Lola, his companion through cancer treatment.
"People always said like, 'Oh, he's just like his dog Lola,' just like always happy always carefree despite, you know, everything," White said.
Jenna White is now an ambassador for the non-profit organization, FightCRC, and travels from Fort Worth to D.C. to advocate for funding and research for colon cancer.
This month, a sea of more than 27,000 blue flags waved outside the U.S. Capitol. Each flag represents a young adult under 50 who will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer by 2030.
"Evan was a big advocate and so now, like that's something I'm really passionate about too, just because it is such a difficult thing for not only the person, who's sick, but you know, their family, their loved ones and friends to all go through it together," White said.
White said colorectal cancer is the only top five cancer killer without its own research program and funding.
"Just because Evan's not here, doesn't mean his fight's over. And we can keep his fight going… and we'll continue to fight, you know, for those who aren't here… so that their fight, you know, wasn't in vain," White said.
Doctors said colon cancer is on the rise in people in their 20s and 30s and recommend annual screenings and being aware of symptoms — constipation, blood in your stool, sudden changes in bowel habits and abnormal weight loss.
