When Cayuga County legislator Michele Sedor was diagnosed with colon cancer last year, it came as quite a shock.

Obviously, no one is prepared for the news when cancer strikes, but the diagnosis was especially surprising for Sedor because she felt fine. Apart from the stage 3 cancer in her colon, Sedor was perfectly healthy.

Sedor has been now cancer-free since a year ago this month, which is fitting, she said, because March is National Colorectal Awareness Month.

"It's been a year since I finished my chemo. This is a very special time for me," she said.

Colorectal cancer, a catch-all term for colon and rectal cancer, is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. This year it is estimated that 145,290 people will be diagnosed with the disease. Of those afflicted with colorectal cancer, the American Cancer Society estimates that 56,290 will die from the disease.

Sedor and the Cayuga County Healthy Men and Women Partnership want to get the word out that colorectal cancer is the only truly preventable cancer. A simple test called a fecal occult blood test can be done at home to detect bleeding that may be caused by polyps, or growths, in the colon or rectum.

If a polyp is found, it can be removed before it becomes cancerous. In Sedor's case, the cancer had already developed, but was able to be surgically removed.

Health-care professionals recommend that everyone 50 or older get tested every year, although Sedor was only 44 when the cancer was discovered. Her older sister had been diagnosed with colon cancer and her surgeon recommended that everyone in her family get tested.

Sedor had a colonoscopy and was lucky that they found the cancer in time. There is a 90 percent five-year survival rate for those whose cancer has been found and treated at an early stage, but because many people are not getting tested, only 39 percent of colorectal cancer is found in the early stages.

Julie Delaney, a data and case manager with the Cayuga County Health Department, said her agency is doing everything it can to emphasize the point that early detection is essential to colorectal cancer prevention. Through a grant from the state Department of Health, Cayuga County is able to provide free home testing kits for adults over 50 or those who are otherwise at risk for colon cancer. Delaney hopes these home tests make people less apprehensive about getting screened for colorectal cancer.

"The program just keeps getting bigger and bigger, especially with so many people not having health insurance," she said.

While cost is a concern for many, it is modesty and embarrassment that generally prevent people from either getting a colonoscopy or doing the FOBT test at home. Just like women were initially apprehensive about mammograms when they first started to be recommend, many feel the same about colon exams.

"One horror story erases 15 good stories," Delaney said. "Someone hears from a friend who had a bad experience with a colonoscopy and they never want to go and get one themselves."

Sedor appreciates those concerns, but emphasizes that getting a colonoscopy is far better than the possible alternative of advanced colorectal cancer."

"There's nothing to a colonoscopy. No one should put it off because they're afraid," Sedor said.

She hopes that in time people will give the same attention to colorectal cancer as they do to breast cancer. Increased exposure, she said, will bring with it increased awareness.

Since her diagnosis, Sedor has done her part to raise the awareness of this preventable disease. She's been on television and radio speaking about her experience so that others might be encouraged to get tested.

"I've used every opportunity to talk about it and I continue to speak about it publicly and openly," she said. "We've got to continually talk about it."

Staff writer Lauren Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or lauren.ober@lee.net