Hereditary Colon Cancer Takes Guts

Growing up with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, for me, meant growing up with an intimate knowledge of my own mortality. I never met my paternal grandfather who died at the age of 36, but the legacy of his death was significant. My father grew up thinking he, too, wouldn’t make it past 36 and lived his life accordingly. As such, he, perhaps unwittingly, passed this notion on to me. At 37, I’m living in ‘extra innings.’ To quote Skip Carey, beloved Atlanta Braves announcer, "it’s free basebal...

Since the inception of the Hereditary Colon Cancer Foundation, I frequently find myself having to describe Familial Adenomatous Polyposis. It has, on more than one occasion, given me pause to ask how I define FAP. It's actually a quite interesting thought. 

If you do a search online for any of the hereditary colon cancer diseases, including FAP, you are met with cold, clinical information. You'll read about the list of named syndromes - Gardner, Lynch, Turcot, Cowden...