The Mantua Township Committee presented Chris Rainey (middle) and Tom Peterson (second from right) with a township proclamation during its meeting on March 10.
The Mantua Township Committee announced during its recent meeting that is has proclaimed March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
The move was made in honor of Patricia (Trish) Peterson, who has been a resident of Mantua since 1991, according to the township, and has been battling stage IV colon cancer since 2018. She was unable to attend the meeting; in her stead were her husband, Tom, and daughter, Chris Rainey.
During the session, Mayor Robert Zimmerman – who has known the family for more than 35 years – spotlighted the importance of early detection when it comes to colon cancer, particularly for people in the 40-to-45 age range.
“She (Peterson) emphasized the importance of getting a colonoscopy and screening, because colon cancer can be prevented if you take those preventative measures and get the proper testing,” said Zimmerman. “Ironically, Trish is an RN and has been an RN for many, many years, and she didn’t do that. I believe it wasn’t until after she had symptoms that she was diagnosed, and, at that point, it was stage IV.”
The township later posted a brief statement from Peterson about her cancer battle on its Facebook page to help emphasize her stance on early detection.
“I always put everyone ahead of me, and never made the time to get a colonoscopy,” she acknowledged. “It’s cost me a stage IV diagnosis that has included surgery, radiation and chemo, etc, to fight this battle.”
According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., second only to lung cancer. Colorectal cancer has a 90% survival rate if detected early.
The committee presented Peterson and Rainey with a copy of the proclamation, read to those in attendance.
“Patricia embodies the bravery, strength and resilience needed to handle such obstacles,” the proclamation read, “and the township of Mantua will keep Patricia and her family in its thoughts and prayers as she continues her fight with colon cancer.”
Zimmerman plans to focus on colorectal cancer every March as long as he is mayor.
