It’s an event that hopes to change the lives of those touched by colon cancer for the better.
About 100 people took part in Sunday’s Push For Your Tush at Rundle Park.
Organizer Staci Silverman called it a “booty shakin’ good time.”
The walk is into its third year and organizers are hoping to raise about $30,000.
The money raised this year will go towards programs for patients and families dealing with the diagnosis.
“People are really afraid to talk about bums,” Silverman said. “We all have one — but they don’t want to be having these kinds of stinky conversations — that are really the conversations that save lives. Colon cancer is very preventable and very treatable if we catch it early.”
Colorectal cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada.
It is the second leading cause of death from cancer in men and the third leading cause of death from cancer in women.
Participant Jessica Fotty said a cancer diagnosis can be life-changing for most people.
“You can go on living. You don’t want to be here and say, “My life sucks.’ Go live! Nothing is stopping you,” she said.
Fotty was diagnosed with colorectal cancer after learning she had a genetic disease called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis which cause polyps to develop in the large intestine and become cancerous.
“We don’t want people to be embarrassed,” Silverman said. “We need to make people aware of when they need to be screened.”
The Canadian Cancer Society recommends people between 50 and 74 years old have a stool test done every two years — which checks for cancerous growth or tumours in the lining of the colon or rectum.
Those at high risk, meaning with a family history of colon cancer, should discuss more frequent testing with their doctor.