Hi Eric,

I've been out of the country for two weeks, and just returned last night. I just sent an email to the morning show, giving you all kudos for publicizing an International Myeloma Foundation event sponsored by Michael McKean and Annette Toole. (My mother passed away from multiple myeloma last year, at 54). And while I was cruising around the website, I read your blog, and your posts about Hal Fishman. While major headway is being made in research and medicines, cancer of all types are more prevalent than ever. That is why early detection and prevention is so key. My condolences go out to Mr. Fishman's family, and to his KTLA family.

Hi Eric, My grandfather died at an early age of colon cancer. My mom has always had polyps during her colonoscopies, they have always been cancer free. She is 87 and doing well. I had my first colonoscopy this year. I am 45 years old. It was very easy and I recomend it to anyone over 50 or before if you have a family history. I work in Torrance for a group of seven gastrointeroligsts. Our office screens over 3000 people a month. Thanks Eric for your great work in helping to make the public aware of this not so easy to talk about subect. :)

I am very saddend by the passing of Hal Fishman, to me he was a human dictionary just like my grandma used to be. His witts were so hansome and attractive to me.I will miss his commentarys and just miss him. I would rush to turn on ch.5 just to see Hal and joke to my brother "hey their's my husband". I give my condolinces to the family and I know that Hal is flying around in God's land now.
Sincerly: Sally ANN

I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Hal Fishman. My father passed away 3 months ago from colon cancer that had metastisized to his liver. He battled cancer for 3 years and we initially thought they had removed it all with surgery. After seeing him go through chemo all those years, I will definitely have colonoscopies on a regular schedule.
My prayers and deepest sympathies are with Mr. Fishman's family and friends. He will be sorely missed and lovingly remembered.

May Hal Fishman rest in peace.We will miss him tremendously, he was such an inspiration for all of us. Thank God he did not suffer too long. It is still unbelievable that he is gone.
Our prayers and thougts are with his family and collegues.
Sincerely
Ester Horompoly

Thanks for providing this information to the public. I was in shock to hear that Mr. Fishman had died from colon cancer, so suddenly. I just assumed that he was following routine screening tests for his age. But I guess that is not what he did. Thanks for reminding people about how treatable this form of cancer is. I know we can't live forever, but Mr. Fishman will be missed.

I was really sad to hear of Hal Fishman's passing. My mother is a 12 year survivor of colon cancer, and we (her adult children) were advised to have colonoscopies at least every 5 years. The prep is grueling, but not painful and the test itself so easy. It's so shocking to me that Mr. Fishman was not advised to have this screening...I wish he could have had the successful outcome my mother and so many others have had. He will truly be missed.

I was really sad to hear of Hal Fishman's passing. My mother is a 12 year survivor of colon cancer, and we (her adult children) were advised to have colonoscopies at least every 5 years. The prep is grueling, but not painful and the test itself so easy. It's so shocking to me that Mr. Fishman was not advised to have this screening...I wish he could have had the successful outcome my mother and so many others have had. He will truly be missed.

I am always amazed when intelligent and successful people are so...well...dumb. The choice between a colonoscopy and cancer should be a simple one. Would you rather die of a slow, lingering painful early death or undergo a relatively painless medical procedure? My deepest and most sincere sympathies to his family and friends but I am disappointed and yes, angry, when people do not choose to be proactive about their health. A very sad lesson indeed.

I am always amazed when intelligent and successful people are so...well...dumb. The choice between a colonoscopy and cancer should be a simple one. Would you rather die of a slow, lingering painful early death or undergo a relatively painless medical procedure? My deepest and most sincere sympathies to his family and friends but I am disappointed and yes, angry, when people do not choose to be proactive about their health. A very sad lesson indeed.

Eric, this is so very sad. It did seem curious to me that he would suffer his first acknowledged symptoms just a few days before his death when the cancer had spread so widely. What a drag.

Add my voice to those who want to encourage anyone over 50 to just get with it and start a program of regular colonoscopies. They are really no big deal. If you have the right kind of anaesthetic, they can be downright pleasant. They do not hurt, they are not "gross," and they are over quickly.

The worst thing is the prep, but after you've done it the first time so you know what to expect, the second time isn't so bad. Just don't make any plans to be more than about 20 feet from an unoccupied toilet during your prep evening. This would not be a good night to go to Dodger Stadium, for example, or to go on a hike.

Seriously...you don't want anyone to ever say about you what Eric says here about Hal. He should be with us now.

A good warning. My dad died of colon cancer years earlier than he would have because he didn't get checked. My children barely remember him. Because of the family history I get checks and am clean (knock wood).

Eric, it's an excellent point; I thought the same thing about Hal.

And I thought of my father, who died of colon cancer at 71. He got checked in his 60s, and had some polyps removed, but then my mom got very ill, and he stopped going for checks. He died 8 months after her of full-blown colon cancer.

Most of me understands his actions, but part of me wants him here still. And he would have been here, if he'd have been re-checked on schedule.

I'm 41. With my family history, my doc recommended a colonoscopy, and so I had it done last year. The worst thing about the colonoscopy was drinking the phosphate gunk that cleans you out. The procedure itself was a breeze. You can even watch the monitor as it goes in, like watching them check your sewer with the little camera, except you don't get to keep the tape.

And afterwards, because they blow some air into your lower intestine, you are ENCOURAGED to fart as much as possible. That's a pretty big upside!

Gentlemen: Everybody has a butt. Yours is nothing new. Get over yourselves and get checked ... if not for you, then for your families.

-- John Rabe, host
89.3-KPCC's "Off-Ramp"

My dad died of colon cancer in 1992 at the age of 52; I was only 12. At that time his doctors knew he had cancer *somewhere* but they couldn't find it until it was too late. If all the advancements made in medicine had been available 15 years ago he would probably have had a chance. I now wonder how different my life would be if he was still alive.

After they announced Hal's death yesterday morning I called my mom and asked if she ever went for a screening since she is now 61. She said she has a complete physical including colonoscopy every Feburary. I feel a little better knowing that but I still worry.

Thanks for your Hal Fishman postscrip article.

I had my yearly physical a few months ago, and my physician scheduled an Colonoscopy exam for me, but I did not make the appointment. Why? Probably because of the fear of the unknown.

Because of your writing, I'm going to call my doctor and ask him make me another appointment for my Clonoscopy.

Cheers.

Having a history of colon cancer in my family(1st cousin died at 52 and my father having colon surgery at 89 and living to 96), I should have had a colonoscopy by the age of 50. But I had been getting my physicals and blood screenings on a regular basis and had no abnormal readings. In fact I was quite healthy and always felt uneasy about the procedure.

But at 55 and revealing to my Dr. about my family history, he encouraged me to have this procedure. It still took me 2 months to get up the courage to get this procedure out of the way. I felt they would not find anything out of the ordinary, after all I was healthy and had no symtoms. But I was wrong, almost dead wrong.

An abnormal growth called a sessile adenoma with high grade dysplasia was found. It was too large to be removed by endoscopy, but a specimen was extracted.

I was told I could wait to see how this growth would develop, but since it was already high grade dysplasia, they suggested I have it removed.

I had a right hemi-colectomy to remove the growth and no cancer was found.

Had I waited too long, this could have become a malignant tumor and spread to other areas of my body.

I know this is trite, but I have to say it anyway.

Don't wait, don't hesitate, please don't be too late. Get your colonoscopy in time. The life you save may be your own.

Please look at this sight to see how various stages of sessile adenomas are discovered and removed:

http://dave1.mgh.harvard.edu/ViewFilms.cfm?Film_id=532