Hundreds gathered in Hart Park to raise awareness of colon cancer with a 5K walk/run

 

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Hundreds gathered in Hart Park to raise awareness of colon cancer on Saturday, Sept. 23, for the "Get your Rear in Gear" 5K walk/run.

Lung cancer is the only cancer that kills more Americans than colon cancer. The event is all about celebrating survivors, honoring lives lost, and raising awareness.

John Cieslewicz is a survivor who was diagnosed right after he retired.

“I went through chemo, radiation, surgery, and it was probably one of the toughest six months of my life,” Cieslewicz said.

Cieslewicz has been cancer free for 10 years now.

His big message is to get checked.

“‘For the younger people, it’s getting more and more that young people are having the cancer. To be able to catch it early, detect it, makes a lot of difference in your survival, " Cieslewicz said.

John’s wife Maryianne Lutz-Cieslewicz says having support to cheer you on during the journey makes all the difference.

“I’ll tell you, many days when he was having a bad day, I’d come dancing in the room and say, "we got this," "we’re gonna do it," and we just continued to go forward,” Lutz-Cieslewicz said. 

One in five patients diagnosed are between ages 20 and 54.

Doctors recommend getting checked.