At the age of 60, Glenn Valdez got a colonoscopy, which revealed a cancerous polyp. After having an operation to remove the polyp, he's become an advocate for cancer screenings. ROBERT A. MARTIN/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Test can be a real lifesaver for many COLONOSCOPY >> Cancer-screening procedure

Convinced colonoscopy saved his life, King George man tells others to get one by age 50

Date published: 4/8/2008

By Robert Hedelt

GLENN Valdez tells everyone who'll listen that he's alive today because of a simple cancer-screening procedure called a colonoscopy.

The same test might not have saved my father from dying of colon cancer in his early 30s. But I hope it will keep me from from suffering a similar fate as I continue to outlive him.

I met the 61-year-old Valdez, a King George resident who works as a respiratory therapist at Mary Washington Hospital, a few weeks ago because it was National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

My gastroenterologist, Dave Monahan of Fall Hill Gastroenterology Associates, encouraged me to share Valdez's story.

His hope was that it would encourage others to get screened by age 50 for this type of cancer. If detected early enough, it has a very high survival rate, over 90 percent in certain cases.

About 15 months ago, the tall, physically fit man, who came to this country from Trinidad to play soccer, felt he was in perfect health.

He ate right, played soccer well into his 50s and didn't have indication that polyps were growing in his colon.

Though he has worked in the medical profession for years--first as a medic in Vietnam--he didn't feel the need for a checkup.

"I was as healthy as a horse, but my wife was always telling me that I paid insurance but never used it," he said. "She told me that I should get this colonoscopy, that I was really past due for it."

He scheduled a visit to Monahan's office, and a colonoscopy soon followed.

Valdez's procedure found several polyps, one of which was cancerous.

"You think you're ready for everything when you work in medicine, but that's a hard thing to hear," he said.

Soon after, Valdez had surgery to remove the cancerous section of the colon.

Valdez said he healed fairly quickly. He's feeling good again, is cancer-free and is spreading the word about getting the test by age 50.

"If I had waited much longer, and this cancer had kept growing, I probably wouldn't be here today," he said.

ABOUT THE TEST There are other tests, but the conventional wisdom is that none are as effective as a colonoscopy at finding cancerous growths and actually removing polyps, keeping many from ever becoming a problem. It's a procedure where, under various types of sedation, a small apparatus containing a camera is inserted into the rectum and up into the colon. It allows the doctor to see any irregularities or polyps and remove them for biopsy.

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Date published: 4/8/2008