Bev Ball was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer in 2018.
A year later, the Seymour woman died at age 62.
Initial screening colonoscopy is usually recommended at age 45, but Ball’s daughter, Jessica Heckman, said her mother had never gotten one before being diagnosed. The exam allows a doctor to look closely at the inside of the colon and rectum to see if there are any abnormalities in the colon or polyps that could be a sign of cancer. Polyps are small growths that over time can become cancer.
“She had had some other issues that were kind of popping up, and so she had decided to go to the doctor and do some screening across the board,” Heckman said.
That screening included Ball’s first colonoscopy, which she had done at Schneck Medical Center in Seymour, where she worked in the endoscopy department. Her husband, Ernie, and daughter also worked at the hospital at the time.
“My mom called to tell me — it was after her colonoscopy — they had found a spot and it was cancer,” Heckman said. “I asked her where she was. I said, ‘Don’t move. I’m coming straight there.’”
After the biopsies came back, Ball learned it was Stage 4.
“Then she comes to the reality of realizing that she has the option of doing chemo to try to slow it down and extend her life, but we knew that there wasn’t a cure,” Heckman said. “So she started the process of doing the chemo, that journey and that reality of making those tough choices and then a person having to make that choice of choosing quality (of life) and spirituality, coming to terms with the path that you’re going to end up taking.”
The news changed their lives forever, Heckman said.
“It is something that if you do it ahead of time and you catch it early, things could have been different, so just the reality of knowing that if those screens had been done earlier in life,” she said. “I believe that our path and direction we take in life is the direction and path that we were intended to take, but as far as having an awareness for other people, I hope that others would take that time to do their screenings.”
Especially in her family, Heckman said she makes sure people are aware of doing their screenings.
“I know for myself, I tend to put off making appointments and doing the things,” she said. “After you experience something like that (losing a loved one to cancer), then you realize the impact that it can have if you do everything you can to take care of it.”
That was the message during Friday’s Sparks of Strength ceremony at Schneck.
Tyler Wessel, ambulatory care services manager for the hospital, said colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, and 90% of colorectal cancer is curable if it’s caught early.
“It’s easier to cure when it’s found early on,” he said. “Anybody who is age 45 or older is now able to be screened with screening colonoscopy for most insurance companies. We have a great team down here in endoscopy with expert endoscopists, anesthesiologists and nurses and staff, so talk to your physician about getting a colonoscopy.”
Schneck also has other forms of screening, including ColoCARE and Cologuard at-home kits, and those were available after Friday morning’s ceremony.
Thanks to Healthy Jackson County receiving a Health Issues and Challenges Grant from the Indiana Department of Health, ColoCARE kits were available for people to take for free. Those will continue to be handed out between 10 a.m. and noon Fridays for the remainder of the month in the patient lobby at Schneck. That goes along with March being Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
Wessel was joined by fellow Schneck employees at the ceremony, where everyone wore blue for National Dress in Blue Day to promote colorectal cancer awareness, screening and prevention.
Blue tealights were distributed to attendees, and a moment of silence was observed to remember people who have battled the disease.
“These little lights are just a reminder that we are here to pass on the torch, so give it to somebody you know that needs a screening colonoscopy,” Wessel said. “This is a brief reminder to say, ‘Hey, it’s not too hard. Just sign up, talk to your doctor. You can call.’ It’s very simple. … Remember, you are the spark of strength for someone else.”
Heckman, an occupational therapist who does home health rehab for Schneck, was off work Friday but made it a point to attend the ceremony.
“For me, it was obviously a personal choice to represent my mom,” she said. “My mom was one that tended to put off going to the doctor and making those appointments, and so this is an awareness that don’t put those off because our life forever changed on that day. Just knowing the journey that we went through and where we’re at now, I just hope that it impacts somebody else.”
With the blue tealight she received, Heckman said she is going to put it on her desk in her office.
“My reason for that is because my coworkers obviously know my journey in life, but it’s just to help bring that awareness a little bit more,” she said.
At a glance
To schedule a colonoscopy, contact your primary care provider or call Schneck Surgical Associates at 812-519-2388, Schneck Endoscopy Center at 812-522-0464 or Family Medical Center at 812-524-3333.
With March being Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, free ColoCARE kits are available for people to take home. Those will be handed out between 10 a.m. and noon Fridays for the remainder of the month in the patient lobby at Schneck, 411 W. Tipton St., Seymour.