Barrett Brooks isn’t the only Flower Mound firefighter who constantly reminisces about his late friend and fellow firefighter Wade Cannon. Memories and reminders of Wade, who was only 33 when he passed away from occupational colon cancer in 2022, are everywhere — at the fire station, on social media, in pictures, and random daily conversations among the boys.
There are even videos of Wade preaching to anyone who would listen to, “Go get checked.”
“His message was pretty simple,” Brooks said. “Putting up with a little procedure is much better than a lifetime of what-ifs.”
That procedure is called a colonoscopy. And since March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, everyone from local doctors and the American Cancer Society to Barrett, now the President of the Flower Mound Firefighter Foundation, and anyone else who has lost a loved one is pushing hard to continue shining an important light on the high prevalence of colon cancer in men and women of all ages, potential symptoms, the importance of getting screened, and the incredibly high cure rate if found early enough.
“There was a time when colon cancer was considered an old man’s cancer,” Brooks said. “That’s just not the case. As was the case with Wade, it doesn’t matter how old you are. Get checked. It’s worth it.”
Dr. Rachel Cox agreed. She is a colorectal surgeon on the medical staff of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound.
“I’ve helped a patient who was 20. I had another one who was 24 and several more in their 30s who were diagnosed,” Dr. Cox said. “Colon cancer is preventable and curable if we can get people screened at an appropriate time. We want people to know that if they are having problems, they should talk to their doctor about it instead of ignoring it.”
The American Cancer Society estimates there will be about 106,590 new cases of colon cancer in the United States in 2024. Colon cancer symptoms can include bloody stool, a change in bowel habits, abdominal discomfort, weakness, and tiredness. That said, some people don’t experience any symptoms, which means a person could have pre-cancerous polyps on their colon for years without knowing. At some point, those polyps could develop into cancer and lead to a variety of symptoms with life-threatening consequences.
As a result, colon cancer is expected to cause about 53,010 deaths this year.
If there is any good news in this, it’s that the rate of people being diagnosed with colon cancer each year has dropped overall since the mid-1980s. Deaths are also on the decline. Much of this is because more colon cancer polyps are being found more often through screening and are removed before they can develop into cancers. In addition, colon cancer is easier to treat when found earlier.
The problem is that as the incidence rates among older adults decrease by about 1% each year, rates are increasing in people younger than 55. In Wade Cannon’s case, he began having symptoms and, at one point, was forced to leave work early one day because he was doubled over in pain. By the time he received a colonoscopy, he had Stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his lymph nodes and liver. He survived just two years before passing away, leaving behind a wife, son, parents, and sister.
Wade started his career with the Flower Mound Fire Department in 2016 and soon became a great firefighter, friend, and mentor to those whose lives he touched. He was an active member of the Flower Mound Safe Team, which taught fire safety at local schools. Wade was also a swift water team member and strong paramedic.
Needless to say, losing someone like that to such a terrible diagnosis was a tough pill to swallow.
“He wasn’t a smoker, and he didn’t have any family history of colon cancer,” Brooks said. He said that Cannon’s message of early screenings inspired at least a dozen of his colleagues to get screened. Two of them also had colon cancer that was caught early.
“For Wade, it started with gastrointestinal issues, and like a lot of 30-year-olds, he figured he could fix it through diet and working out. But things kept getting worse. He got his doctor to give him a colonoscopy, and that’s when they found it.”
Dr. Cox said that while the historical recommendation was to have screenings such as a colonoscopy done at 50, the new national guidelines are 45 if there are no risk factors. In many cases, she’s preaching to get screened earlier.
“Most people tell me that their colonoscopy is the best nap of their day. You don’t feel anything, and you’re not aware of the procedure itself,” she said. “Sure, the hardest part is the prep work the day before. But it’s a pretty simple procedure that’s 100% effective at finding any existing polyps and cancers.”
Dr. Cox added, “It’s hard to tell people that I can’t cure them when their cancer has reached a later stage and spread. It’s a hard conversation to have. Our hope in the future is to have better treatments. But with our current testing, screening is the best way.”
To help further colon cancer research and education, Barrett and the Flower Mound Firefighter Foundation are hosting their second annual Wade Cannon Memorial Golf Tournament at Indian Creek Golf Course in Carrollton on March 30. Last year, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit — which is still relatively young and began to take flight after Cannon’s diagnosis — raised nearly $30,000 for the inaugural event, which Barrett said was thrown together quickly after Cannon passed that previous October.
“I know I’m biased, but it was a huge success last year,” Brooks said. The Foundation is busy year-round raising money and putting on events for various causes. “Everyone had a good time, and we raised a lot of money. We’ll still raise scholarship money for individuals interested in going through the fire academy, but the focus is on awareness and research of colon cancer. Indian Creek has two courses. We filled up one last year, and we’d love to fill up both this year. Wade would be happy that we are spreading this message.”
Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Flower Mound encourages everyone to seek out a GI doctor or colorectal surgeon for concerning symptoms and get screened with a colonoscopy. Please visit texashealth.org/flowermound to find a doctor or cancer.org for more information about colon cancer. You can also find more information about the Wade Cannon Memorial Golf Tournament at flowermoundfirefighterfoundation.org.
 GIF.gif)
