Poem written by my cousin Hewitt Madigan

This poem was sent to me by my cousin Hewitt Madigan's girlfriend Hazel. Hewitt wrote this poem for a friend a week after his friend's brother died. Hewitt died in 2006 from pancreatic cancer. His mother, Judy Madigan, died of colon cancer in 1983. His brother Joel had a colonoscopy after we informed him of the genetic connection. Joel had a partial colectomy due to a cancerous polyp in his colon.

Hewitt Madigan, 1957 - 2006

make up a day minute by minute
tell me who was and who wasn't in it
was the morning a long one
the afternoon hot
were the fields there pretty
were you happy or not?

make up a week, day by day
tell me who came and who went away
did it seem to go fast
did it seem to go slow
was it during the summer
or deep in the snow?

make up a life time, the minutes, the days
remember the laughter in all of its ways
make up a lifetime, the months and the years
let me always be with you through the laughter and tears.

to jeff
from hewitt

6/16/78

Comments

Cancer Survivors

Just read a story about one woman's cancer experience. I bet everyone has a story about what goes through your mind when you are told you have cancer. Her thought were about her stunned family members, one crying and the other in shock. I bet there are quite a few stories that could be qualitatively studied. Those experiences could help nurses better help patients during this time.

Prevalence and Spectrum of Germline Cancer Susceptibility Gene Mutations Among Patients With Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer

Key Points Question What is the frequency and spectrum of cancer susceptibility gene mutations among patients with colorectal cancer diagnosed at younger than 50 years? Findings In this cohort study of 450 patients with early-onset colorectal cancer, 72 (16%) had a pathogenic mutation. Panel testing identified mutations in patients that may have otherwise been missed; specifically, 24 of 72 patients (33.3%) who were mutation positive did not meet testing criteria for the gene(s) in which they had a mutation. Meaning Multigene panel testing should be considered for all patients with early-onset colorectal cancer. Read More: Prevalence and Spectrum of Gene Mutations and Colorectal Cancer

Preventative Measures for Carriers

Reducing the Risk of Colon Cancer Here are some of the preventive steps you and your doctor can take if your genetic test indicates a risk of developing an inherited cancer: Increased Surveillance Colonoscopy every one to two years beginning at age 20-25 or 5-10 years before the earliest age of a diagnosed colorectal cancer in your family, whichever comes first. Colonoscopy annually after age 40. Preventive Surgery If colon cancer (or an advanced precancerous polyp) is diagnosed in a patient with HNPCC , a full, rather than partial, colectomy is recommended. In carefully selected people, for example, those not willing or able to undergo periodic screening, preventive colectomy may be an option based on a positive genetic test result for HNPCC. Preventive Drug Therapies for Colorectal Cancer: Different drugs for the prevention of colorectal cancer are currently being researched for individuals with HNPCC. None of these drugs are currently approved by the FDA for this purpose. Increa...

HNPCC Info

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