National Dress in Blue Day 2024 (US): Annually, National Dress in Blue Day is observed on the first Friday of March. The national holiday was established to bring attention to the prevention and etiology of colon cancer. Blue represents colon cancer in the same way that a pink ribbon represents breast cancer. There have been proposals to observe colon cancer awareness throughout the entire month of March, not just on the first Friday of the month. This would be comparable to October, which is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
National Dress in Blue Day History
National Dress in Blue Day was inspired by Anita Mitchell, a stage IV colon cancer survivor who suffered the loss of her father and was a dear friend to the disease. Mitchell, moved by the realization that both of these calamities were preventable, resolved to increase awareness regarding colon cancer. In 2006, she coordinated a recognition day at her children’s school in which students were encouraged to donate $1 to colon cancer awareness and wear blue attire of their choosing.
Mitchell introduced the Colon Cancer Alliance to the “Dress in Blue Day” concept, which the organization formally introduced in 2009 through a nationwide campaign. It was additionally a way to pay tribute to those afflicted with the ailment. The Colon Cancer Alliance promotes proactive awareness and assistance-seeking for individuals with colon cancer through routine screenings that identify early warning signs before the progression of the disease.
Screening-detected cases of colorectal cancer are typically identified two to three years before the manifestation of symptoms. A screening could potentially decrease fatalities from colon cancer by 60%. Research has shown that the majority of colorectal malignancies are preventable through lifestyle modifications and heightened surveillance. Increasing physical activity or making simple dietary adjustments can reduce the likelihood of developing colon cancer.
According to American researcher Michael Zimmerman, the earliest potential instance of human cancer occurred during the Ptolemaic period (305–30 B.C.). Zimmerman identified indications of rectal cancer in the tissues of an Egyptian mummy from that era. Colorectal cancer is therefore arguably the oldest form of cancer known to humanity. Before the seventeenth century, Zimmerman and colleague Egyptian mummy researcher Rosalie David did not discover evidence of other cancers.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma was possibly first documented in 1832; however, Marcello Malpighi alluded to it in 1666. Nevertheless, the earliest scientific documentation of elements resembling tumors dates back no more than three centuries. An instance of this is the identification of scrotal cancer as a high-risk occupation for chimney sweeps in 1775; nasal cancer was linked to snuff in 1761.
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FAQs regarding National Dress in Blue Day
What symptoms and indications are associated with colorectal cancer?
A prolonged alteration in gastrointestinal patterns, including diarrhea, constipation, or constipation, persists for a duration exceeding several days. A sensation of urgency to defecate that is not alleviated by the act of doing so. Rectal hemorrhaging is characterized by vivid red blood.
Can a person endure colon cancer?
Colonic cancer has an aggregate five-year survival rate of 63%. Detection at an early, localized stage significantly improves survival by 91%. Upon dissemination to neighboring or regional areas, the survival rate diminishes to a solitary 72%, which remains favorable. However, once the cancer has metastasized to distant organs, it is frequently regarded as terminal, with a survival rate of only 14%.
What causes colorectal carcinoma to be blue?
The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable officially adopted the Blue Star emblem as a symbol of the fight against colorectal cancer on April 1, 2004, which is where the color comes from. Furthermore, it symbolizes the aspiration for a remedy and the remembrance of those who have lost their lives to colorectal cancer. Ever since the symbol’s inception, the disease has been associated with its somber hue.
National Dress in Blue Day 2024 (US) Activities
Employ turquoise
Promote the practice of donning an all-blue ensemble among your peers on National Dress in Blue Day. Appeal to your place of employment that employees observe a “blue only” day.
Raise consciousness via social media
To raise awareness, publish images of the day and share them on social media. Utilize the #NationalDressinBlueDay hashtag.
Contribute to the cause
In observance of National Dress in Blue Day, make a monetary contribution to organizations that advocate for colon cancer awareness. Donations are not restricted to monetary contributions alone. Your time, goods, supplies, or even abilities could be equally valuable.
Five colon cancer facts that will astound you
Extremely lethal
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related fatalities.
The symptoms are essentially absent.
The detection of colon cancer necessitates the patient’s progression to an advanced stage.
Cancer of the colon is not gender-dependent.
Older women and men are susceptible to developing this condition.
It is avoidable.
Preventing and reducing the incidence of colon cancer requires routine examinations.
It is a genetically inherited trait.
It is possible to inherit colon cancer from one’s parents or progenitors.
NATIONAL DRESS IN BLUE DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | March 1 | Friday |
| 2025 | March 7 | Friday |
| 2026 | March 6 | Friday |
