health & wellness Healing Arts Experience The Karmanos' "Friends Like Me" program lets kids express feelings about cancer through artwork. • arommiff Elizabeth A. Katz Special to the Jewish News Know the Signs of Colorectal Cancer and Get Tested March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and St. Joseph Mercy Oakland (SJMO) encourages you to know the signs and symptoms and get tested. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States, claiming nearly 50,000 lives each year. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates Ghalib Y. Talia, that 136,830 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in 2014, resulting in about MD 50,310 deaths. Symptoms of colorectal cancer include: • A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool that lasts for more than a few days • A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that is not relieved by doing so • Rectal bleeding, dark stools, or blood in the stool (often, though, the stool will look normal) • Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain • Weakness and fatigue • Unintended weight loss • Pelvic pain, which occurs at later stages of the disease Both men and women are at risk for developing colorectal cancer, with individuals age 50 and over at greater risk of contracting the disease. A family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps also increases the risk. Others at higher risk include those with a history of a bowel disease, such as colitis or Crohn's, and those who are African American. The disease is diagnosed via colonoscopy and, if necessary, a biopsy. Physicians treat colorectal cancer with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and biotechnological medications. Although the exact cause of colorectal cancer is unknown, it may be preventable. Regular colorectal cancer screening is one of the most powerful methods for preventing colorectal cancer because screening helps detect polyps, which can be found and removed before they have the chance to turn into cancer. Screening also can help find colorectal cancer early when it is small and more likely to be cured, says the ACS. According to SJMO colorectal surgeon Ghalib Y. Talia, MD, you can reduce your risk by including fiber, calcium and omega-3 food items in your diet, and by taking aspirin as prescribed by your physician. St. Joe's Cancer Center offers a multidisciplinary continuum of advanced cancer treatment, from acute inpatient care to outpatient services, cutting-edge diagnostic and surgical options and award-winning palliative care. SJMO's program accreditation with commendation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer demonstrates that the hospital meets the highest quality care standards. SJMO's cancer program is a member of the Mercy Cancer Network. Dr. Talia advises that everyone should have a colonoscopy every 10 years, starting at age 50. "If you have a first-degree family history of colon cancer or a history of polyps in the colon, then have a colonoscopy every three to five years. "The best way to prevent colon cancer is to see your primary care physician who will direct you" on how you can prevent the disease, adds Dr. Talia. By Jack Weiner, President and CEO St. Joseph Mercy Oakland DiscoverRemarkable ADVERTISMENT 1854940 50 March 27 • 2014 T he late Shelley Littman's life was in large part defined by her love of and work with children. She was known for her work as a spe- cial education teacher in Farmington Hills for 13 years. After the birth of her son, Andrew, she opened her own nursery school, Directions School, in Birmingham. After Andrew "gradu- ated" from the school, she sold the business and opened Adventures 416 in Toys, also in Shelley Birmingham. There, she Littman was often able to recom- mend toys that would fit the needs and interests of a child. Although she succumbed to brain can- cer in 2004 at age 64, the legacy Shelley left continues to engage kids in fun and learning through Friends Like Me, a program that combines art therapy and counseling for children ages 5-18 who have a family member with cancer. The free program is held at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute's Lawrence and Idell Weisberg Cancer Treatment Center in Farmington Hills and is open to all children, not just those with loved ones being treated at Karmanos. It is funded through the Shelley Littman Endowment Fund for Children at Karmanos as well as community grants and individual donors. "After Shelley passed away, I decided to do something in her memory," said Robert Littman, Shelley's husband who lives in Birmingham. "The program per- petuates her memory in a meaningful way, consistent with her lifetime focus on children:' Helping Kids Cope The endowment was established shortly after Shelley's death in 2004, but the Friends Like Me program has picked up momentum in the last several years. Kathleen Hardy, oncology social worker at Karmanos, estimates that the program helps about 100 children a year. "Art therapy is fun, energizing, relaxing and a great way for children to express themselves:' Hardy said. "They don't have to hold everything inside so as to not Robert Littman and oncology social worker Kathleen Hardy hold up art created by children in the Friends Like Me program at Karmanos' Weisberg Center in Farmington Hills. upset the family, but can express their feelings in a safe way. "Children are often forgotten after a loved one's diagnosis with cancer. They grieve differently than adults when there is cancer in the family, so we are often not aware of their concerns. Rather than seeing the cancer center as a scary place, children begin to see it as a fun place where the adults care about them and what they are going through as well. They feel more a part of the family's journey with cancer:' Heather Ziegenmeyer, a counseling and art therapy intern at Karmanos, is respon- sible for engaging the children in different art projects, which include painting, clay work and drawing, among other projects. "The kids are special because they have so much energy and light:' Ziegenmeyer said. "Art is a natural language with kids. "The goal of the project is to facilitate emotional expression of the children through artwork. Kids take away the fact that they can express their feelings and create something out of those feelings:' The program right now is facilitated on an individual basis where children and their families can engage in artwork together. Ziegenmeyer envisions more group work with multiple children work- ing together during the summer months when kids are out of school and available to attend the art therapy sessions. Hardy says parents or grandparents can feel free to leave their children to work on art while they meet with her for a one-on-one counseling session or attend one of the many support groups at the Farmington Hills center.