Celebrating the End of Colon Cancer Awareness Month

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Colon Cancer Awareness Month. It’s almost time to take down the blue streamers and put away the party horns and hats until next year. I don’t know how you’ve celebrated, but I’ve decided to end Colon Cancer Awareness Month by getting rid of my colon cancer (although I will ask Stanford if they have some blue scrubs for me to help celebrate this special month).

As you are all aware, Friday is the big day. This week I’ve been preparing myself to lose one of the last expendable organs in my body and to steel myself for whatever news is presented to me following the surgery. My goal is to hear that they didn’t see any additional cancer, it was all in my spleen and my spleen was removed laparoscopically. I am asking that all of you send me similar intentions and prayers on Friday morning at 7:15 am when my surgery commences. The surgery should take approximately 3 hours and provided all goes as planned, I should be out of the hospital on Saturday or Sunday.

It is important that things go smoothly, since I am scheduled to shoot a commercial for the California Cancer Research Act (CCRA/Prop 29) on Monday! I am so honored to be a part of the effort. Provided that I’m out of the hospital and that I am not completely drugged up, the girls and I will be filming a spot to promote this important proposition. You may have seen that the tobacco companies are stepping up their game in opposition to Prop 29. Although we are on the side of the angels, we’ll be up against $50-$100 million in tobacco money that will be funding the opposition. If you’ve been putting off contributing to my online fundraiser for the CCRA, I can think of no better way to end Colon Cancer Awareness Month (except, of course, eradicating colon cancer from your body)!

I am so grateful to all of you for being by my side on this very long and arduous journey. You have inspired me, made me laugh and given me strength. This surgery will be my tenth (my sixth stomach surgery) in just over 4 years. I just pray that it will be my last. But, regardless of what is ahead, just knowing that you all are out there cheering me on, means more to me than I can ever express.