National Dress in Blue Day: What it stands for and how you can take part

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and to kick things off the first Friday of the month is Dress in Blue Day, the chosen color to spark a conversation about the disease, show support to those suffering from it and their families and community, as well as remind people that they should get screened. This year Dress in Blue Day falls on March 6.

Last year, it was estimated that more than 154,000 people would be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, joining the over 1.5 million patients and survivors of the disease. Early detection is key to increasing the survival rate from colorectal cancer, which is why it is recommended that all men and women starting at the age of 45 get annual screenings, earlier if you have a family history of the disease.

Go blue to raise awareness of colorectal cancer

The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is calling people across the nation to go through their closets and don blue apparel on Friday whether it be a sweater or sweatpants, sunglasses or a fun hat.

Once you’ve got your blue gear on, the nonprofit dedicated to ending colorectal cancer asks that you take a picture of yourself or with friends and then post it to your social media platform or platforms of choice with the hashtag #DressInBlueDay and tag the Colorectal Cancer Alliance (@CCAlliance). You can also add the hashtag #GetScreened to your post.

Brief history of Dress in Blue Day

Dress in Blue Day traces its roots back to 2006 when Anita Mitchell organized a colorectal cancer recognition day at her children’s school. The event was a resounding success and a few years later she brought the idea to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, which launched it nationwide.

At the age of 41, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance volunteer, Never Too Young Advisory Board member, and Colon Cancer Stars founder was battling stage IV colorectal cancer and had already lost a close friend and her father to the disease. She had been unaware of her family history with the disease, information which could have helped her know to get screened earlier.

Had the doctors see the signs of her colorectal cancer sooner they could’ve prevented it from developing or at least catch it at a more easily treatable stage. “Colorectal cancer is 90 percent preventable and 90 percent treatable if detected early, yet it’s the second-leading cancer killer in the United States,” said Mitchell in a statement.

Her new found knowledge prompted her to make it her mission to educate the public about the role of family history in colorectal cancer and encourage people to get screened for the disease.

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