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** PHOTO OPPORTUNITY ** MEDIA ALERT **
| For Immediate Release | July 16, 2009 |
New Orleans Welcomes 40-Foot Colon
The Colossal Colon® Visits Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on
Thursday, August 6th through Saturday, August 8th, 2009
New Orleans will host a wacky and educational exhibit that may save your life when the Colossal Colon® comes to New Orleans on Thursday, August 6th through Saturday, August 8th, 2009.
The Colossal Colon® is a 40-foot long, 4-foot tall, crawl-through replica of the human colon designed to educate the public about colorectal cancer. It includes examples of healthy colon tissue, several non-cancerous diseases of the colon such as Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis and diverticulitis, polyps, together with various stages of colorectal cancer.
“Coco,” as the Colossal Colon® is affectionately known, is the creation of Molly McMaster, a colon cancer survivor who was diagnosed on her 23rd birthday. The Colossal Colon® is a project of The Colon Club and is dedicated to the memory of Molly’s friend, Amanda Sherwood Roberts, who lost her battle with colon cancer at age 27. Coco, unveiled on the “Today” show by Katie Couric in 2002, has traveled to over 115 cities around the United States and Canada.
The Colossal Colon® exhibit, located in the Gallery Room on the first floor of the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel, is free and open to the public:
Thursday, August 6th, 2009, from Noon to 6:00 pm
Friday, August 7th, 2009, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, and on
Saturday, August 8th, 2009, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
The Colossal Colon® is appearing in conjunction with the 2nd National Conference of The United Ostomy Associations of America that will be meeting in the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel on August 5th, through August 8th, 2009. This Conference will feature medical workshops for ostomy patients and their care givers, an exhibition hall featuring ostomy product manufacturers and product distributors, and motivational speakers including racecar driver Tim Mitchell, beauty pageant contestant Abby Ryan, and international mountain climber Rob Hill. For more information about the Conference and on-site registration, visit UOAA’s website at www.uoaa.org or call 800-826-0826.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Almost 150,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and over 50,000 of them will die. But colorectal cancer is also one of the most preventable cancers – over 90% of all cases could be prevented through proper screening methods.
Colorectal cancer is the most common cause of ostomy surgery in the United States with over 70,000 ostomy surgical procedures performed annually. There are presently 650,000 people in the United States living with a fecal or urinary ostomy.
The Colossal Colon®’s visit to New Orleans is brought to you through an educational grant made to UOAA by Edgepark Medical Supplies, www.edgepark.com. The Colossal Colon® is sponsored nationally by Get Your Guts in Gear – The Ride for Crohn’s & Colitis (GYGIG). GYGIG creates and produces three, 3 day, 210-mile bicycle rides to raise awareness about Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and the needs of people living with ostomies. For more information about GYGIG, please visit www.ibdride.org.
For more information about the Colossal Colon®, visit www.ColossalColon.com.
About The United Ostomy Associations of America
The United Ostomy Associations of America, Inc. (UOAA) is a national network for the 285 bowel and urinary diversion local support groups organized in the United States. Its goal is to provide a non-profit association that will serve to unify and strengthen its affiliated member support groups, which are organized for the benefit of people who have, or will have intestinal or urinary diversions and their caregivers. UOAA also promotes awareness about the quality of life attainable after ostomy surgery, it advocates for the benefit of all ostomy patients and provides educational publications for new ostomy patients. For more information, please visit www.uoaa.org or call at 800-826-0826.
About Edgepark Medical Supplies
Edgepark Medical Supplies, a family-run company, is the nation’s leader in home delivery of medical supplies such as diabetic testing supplies, ostomy supplies, wound care, urological and incontinence. They work extensively with health plans and Medicare nationally, and have more than 1,000 insurance contracts that cover 85% of the US population. Serving over 500,000 patients and carrying over 30,000 products, Edgepark handles all of your paperwork and delivers supplies directly to your home discreetly within 1-2 business days. To learn more about Edgepark, call 1-800-321-0591 or visit www.edgepark.com.
About the Colossal Colon®
The Colossal Colon® is the creation of Molly McMaster, a colon cancer survivor who was diagnosed on her 23rd birthday, with help and support from Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, NY. The Colossal Colon® is a project of The Colon Club and is dedicated to the memory of Amanda Sherwood Roberts, who lost her battle with colon cancer at age 27. The Colossal Colon® is sponsored nationally by Get Your Guts in Gear – The Ride for Crohn’s & Colitis (GYGIG). GYGIG creates and produces 3-day, 210-mile bicycle rides to raise awareness about Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and the needs of people living with ostomies. For more information about GYGIG, please visit www.ibdride.org. The Colossal Colon® was designed and built by Adirondack Scenic, Inc., a custom design and fabrication company. For more information about the Colossal Colon®, please visit www.colossalcolon.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Colossal Colon: Hannah Vogler
United Ostomy Associations of America: Ken Aukett, 609-315-8115
Edgepark Medical Supplies: Scott Effertz, 800-321-0591
New Orleans CVB: Tara Letort, 504-566-5019; Mary Beth Romig, 504-606-8430; or Kelly Schulz, 504-421-0962