Sugar Land man credits Chadwick Boseman for awareness of colon cancer after 2021 diagnosis
By Web staff
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SUGAR LAND, Texas (KTRK) — A Sugar Land man is sharing his story of survival after a scary stage 2 colon cancer diagnosis.
In the fall of 2021, Randall D. Hardy noticed pain in his abdomen but didn’t think much of it.
“After a while, I realized I needed to do something, but my wife was actually the one who made me go get checked out at the doctor,” Hardy told ABC13.
The 54-year-old told ABC13 he generally has a high pain tolerance, so there wasn’t anything to worry about.
A Sugar Land man is sharing his story of survival after a scary stage 2 colon cancer diagnosis.
In the fall of 2021, Randall D. Hardy noticed pain in his abdomen but didn’t think much of it.
“After a while, I realized I needed to do something, but my wife was actually the one who made me go get checked out at the doctor,” Hardy told ABC13.
The 54-year-old told ABC13 he generally has a high pain tolerance, so there wasn’t anything to worry about.
“What we’ve seen is younger patients, especially African Americans getting colon cancer at a younger age,” Dr. Agarwal said.
The high-profile death of actor and Black Panther superstar Chadwick Boseman in August 2020 pushed colon cancer among African Americans to the forefront.
Boseman underwent years of treatment and surgeries for colon cancer before he died from the disease. He never went public with the illness during his treatment.
“Chadwick Boseman raised awareness. Even for me. Just seeing how he was so graceful through it. It showed how you can have the strength, even in a situation like that, to keep going forward and doing the right things,” Hardy said.
According to the American Cancer Society, Black men have the highest mortality among all cancer cases at 221 deaths per 100,000 in the US. That’s 20% higher than white men and twice the rate of Asian or Pacific Islander men.
“Colon cancer is absolutely preventable,” Dr. Agarwal told ABC13.
Doctors say colon cancer symptoms can include unexplained weight loss, fatigue, shortness of breath, and blood in the stool.
The American Cancer Society recommends colon cancer screening beginning at age 45 for everyone with average risk. It may be younger if you have specific GI issues or a family history.
As for Hardy, he had chemotherapy and immunotherapy after his surgery and is doing well.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiered Friday, Nov. 11 and is produced by The Walt Disney Company, the parent company of ABC13.
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