Many women, myself included, are religious about having periodic PAP tests and mammograms. But we tend to think of colon and rectal cancers as men's diseases. They do not pass over women, I now know all too well, and early detection can make a huge difference to survival prospects. Also, if anyone here had such an examination years ago and found it particularly unpleasant, as I did when I had a first colonoscopy in the 1980s, I can assure you it is less awful as currently administered. My second thought.
Cancer is a dreadful disease.
But there are so many survivors in modern times who can take you through the treatment progression. A Deputy Clerk at the Supreme Court had undergone the treatment a year or so before I did. He spoke to me at intervals, not dousing me with too much at the start, but telling me just what I needed to know at each stage. Honest previews can make the experience less intimidating. And the support and encouragement of others buoy one's spirits.