Cancer. This one simple word brings out a countless number of emotions in an individual. Most people have been affected by cancer in one way or another, whether it be oneself, a family member, a friend, a classmate, an acquaintance, and so forth. There are more than 100 types of cancer in this world, yet I only continue to see awareness of one in particular: breast cancer.

You can find the pink breast cancer ribbon just about anywhere; throughout the month of October, especially, that pink ribbon is on every basic commodity. Breast cancer awareness pen? Got it. Breast cancer awareness Ivory Ella shirts? Yup, they have that. What do the football players participate in every year at one of their games? Pink out -- another tactic of breast cancer awareness. Ask just about anyone what color ribbon represents breast cancer awareness, and they will reply "pink." Ask just about anyone which month breast cancer awareness falls in, and they will say "October" without giving it a second thought. I want to make clear that in no way am I stating that breast cancer does not deserve the amount of awareness that it gets; it most definitely does. It is a deadly cancer, especially for women, and it impacts many families each day. Actually, I cherish how widespread this movement is. I am in awe over how informed the public is about breast cancer. My problem isn't the amount of attention and funding breast cancer receives, rather, my issue is the lack of attention and funding other cancers receive.

If I were to ask someone which cancer the dark blue ribbon stands for, they likely would not know. (Spoiler alert: it's colorectal cancer). If I were to ask someone which month is for colorectal cancer awareness, they again, probably would not know. Colorectal cancer awareness month is in March...the current month. How many times have you heard someone discussing the fact that March is for colorectal cancer awareness? Sadly, this is probably the first. There are no colorectal cancer awareness pens to be found. Ivory Ella does not have a shirt designated for colorectal cancer awareness (I emailed them once I saw the breast cancer Ivory Ella shirt had come out, offering the idea of one for colorectal cancer, but I was denied. I will no longer be buying any of their products). None of the basketball players are participating in "blue out" to increase awareness of colorectal cancer. People are not strutting around town with shirts on that promote attention for this cancer...nobody knows. This hypocrisy is exactly what angers me. Last time I checked, cancer is hard on an individual and their loved ones regardless of which part of the body it affects.

I suppose I am contradicting myself a bit; I am ranting about the fact that one cancer gets more attention than the rest combined, yet I am focusing on colorectal cancer in particular to prove my point. There are a couple reasons for this.

First of all, did you know that colorectal cancer is listed as the second deadliest cancer nationwide? It kills approximately 51,000 people in the United States alone each year, falling far behind the deadliest cancer: lung and bronchial, which kills 158,040 people in the United States annually. Breast cancer comes in third, taking around 40,000 lives every year. So, why is it that colorectal cancer, one of the deadliest cancers out there, seems to be less known than the era of the do-nothing presidents? Why is it brushed aside, as if it is the common cold? Why does nobody seem to care about those 51,000 lives lost yearly? Each of these, along with all other cancers, deserve to be known; they all deserve a significant amount of awareness and funding, not just one.

Second of all, colorectal cancer has had a personal effect on my life. A little over a year ago, my dad was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer. The tumor was huge -- 11 cm by 6.5 cm. What is scary is the fact that, according to doctors, his tumor had likely been growing for ten years, but we had no idea. This brings up the fact that colorectal cancer is known as the "silent killer." This simply means that there are often no symptoms until it is too late. However, death rates from this particular cancer would fall tremendously if more people would get their colonoscopies. For those who don't know, a colonoscopy is an outpatient procedure performed to check for polyps and tumors in the colon. Doctors recommend that you begin getting one at the age of 50, and do so every ten years (the age is younger and time span is smaller if you have a family history of colorectal cancer, or if you are an "at risk" individual). Due to the fact that it is an asymptomatic cancer (until it is very advanced), a majority of people are diagnosed at a later stage, that is, stage three or four. Yet, if people would get these colonoscopies, the rates would fall. Therefore, if there were half as much awareness and funding put towards colorectal cancer as there is breast cancer, then more people would become aware of the dangers and risks of this cancer; they would learn how crucial it is to receive a colonoscopy. Once again, if more people were informed, there would be more colonoscopies performed, and thus less people would lose their lives to this awful disease.

Cancer is a terrible sickness; it tears families apart. Each cancer is just as important as the other, and recognition of each and every one is pivotal to our growing society. I apologize for focusing on colorectal cancer in particular, but it is understandably one that hits a bit too close to home. It is also one that, through heightened attention and education, could become less prevalent in reference to death rates. To anyone who has ever been affected by cancer, especially by such a close family member, whether that person is alive or has passed, my deepest condolences go out to you. I understand how difficult it is to see someone you love so sick, knowing there is absolutely nothing you can do. To anyone who has ever had, or is currently battling cancer, you amaze me; there is nobody stronger. Please, find a cancer and promote its' awareness. Learn about it. Start a fundraiser. Whatever it is that you choose to do, something is better than nothing. I have decided to focus on and promote colorectal cancer awareness for clearly defined reasons. Whether it be colorectal cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, and so on, it is crucial that we start giving recognition to these "unknown" cancers that destroy so many families each day.

Happy colorectal cancer awareness month. Get your butts checked!