Congressman and Wife Probed
Advocacy / Regular Screening - It’s election season. Candidates across the country have been under a microscope, having every detail of their lives examined. Just a few short months ago, my husband – Congressman Jim McGovern – and I were being probed in a different way: by a colonoscope. More about that in a minute; first, let’s travel back in time a bit further…. Last year, both Jim and I turned fifty (yes, the big 5-0). Also, we celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary. HUGE milestones. So the question became, how do we properly mark such major life events? We toyed with the idea of a trip or a party, celebrating with close friends and family. But for me, one idea kept resurfacing: dueling colonoscopies. As executive director of the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention program, I spend a lot of time raising awareness about steps to prevent cancer, including following screening guidelines. I knew that at age 50, and it was time for us to be screened for colon cancer. When I raised this subject with our families, I learned from Jim’s sister that their grandfather had colon cancer, so Jim was actually a little late in getting this done. People with a family history should be screened earlier than 50. Maybe because Jim’s grandfather was treated long ago ...
