Come for the informative and educational talks on men’s health, stay for the giant inflatable colon.
This was the unusual message at a prostate and colon cancer awareness evening hosted by the Lions Club of Grand Cayman on Thursday night, where a 20-foot high inflatable colon ‘tunnel’ became the latest tool in the club’s arsenal to highlight the importance of men undergoing regular testing.
People walking from the car park into the Lions Community Centre on Crewe Road were asked, “Did you notice you’d just walked through a colon?” Many had noticed, but some had to do a doubletake.
Inside the semi-circular tube were giant polyps and tumours, giving viewers a very up-close and personal view of what an unhealthy colon looks like, and what can happen if colon and prostate health is not taken seriously.
Ercley Bodden, the former chairman of the Lions Club’s Prostate And Colon Cancer Event (PACCE) committee, and former Cayman Islands Cancer Society operations manager Jennifer Weber had been hoping for several years to bring the giant inflatable colon to Cayman. A recent partnership with Health City brought that plan to reality at last, Bodden said.
“It’s been a pet project of Jen and I from when she was at the Cancer Society and when I was previous chairman of PACCE… We’ve been working together, doing education evenings around the island. She came by this on the internet and showed it to me and I said, ‘What a great idea, let’s get it.'”
Health City came on board, paying for half of the cost of the inflatable, and ordering and shipping it. After taking about three months to arrive, it landed on island last month.
Bodden said he had hoped it would come in time for the annual PACCE 5K run/walk fundraiser, and could have been used as the official start/finish line, but it arrived the following week.
“Now it’s here and it’s being displayed to the public for the first time tonight,” he said. “It’s definitely a conversation piece.”
Along the sides of the structure were explanatory signs which, Bodden said, can help people better understand the medical advice and information they’re receiving from their doctors during check-ups. “It should be very educational, we hope,” he added.
PACCE holds men’s health educational evenings in each district of Grand Cayman once a year, at which the colon will be re-inflated and put on display. It will also be on show at other educational events, like the one held on Thursday.
Inflating the colon is similar to blowing up a bouncy castle, Bodden said.
The educational evening at the Lions Centre was in partnership with Movember, which raises money each year for the Cancer Society.
Throughout the evening, 110 men took advantage of free PSA tests, which measure the amount of prostate specific antigen in the blood. This was the highest number of men undergoing these tests at this Lions’ annual educational event.
Those tests were offered by several of Cayman’s medical facilities, including Health City, the Health Services Authority, Doctors Hospital, Total Health and the Miami Cancer Institute.
Both Bodden and Lions Club of Grand Cayman president Michael Havlin said there is a growing acceptance among local men regarding the need for PSA blood tests and prostate checks.
Three doctors made presentations at the event, including urologist and sexual health specialist Dr. Daniel Martinez from Baptist Health of Miami, gastroenterologist Dr. Sunil Mathai from Health City Cayman Islands, and family physician Dr. Francisco Martinez from Integra/Doctors Hospital.
Havlin said it was important to highlight that men from the age of 45 should undergo testing for prostate cancer – both by the use of PSA blood tests and by physical prostate checks.
“Tonight, we have this wonderful new structure… and inside of it, there are little polyps that you would get removed with a small operation now and again,” Havlin said. “And you also have some signs about more serious things that can happen if you don’t treat yourself to a check-up by a medical professional.”
The Lions Club of Grand Cayman will also be hosting an event at Doctors Hospital on Saturday morning, 19 Nov., where free PSA tests will also be available for those who were unable to attend Thursday’s event. There will also be free eye testing available, as part of another Lions initiative.
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