Source: The Washington Post / Getty
Chadwick Boseman’s passing may have left the world reeling, but it is also inspiring others to aid in the fight against the deadly form of cancer that took the actor’s life.
TMZ is reporting that even though he is an ancestor now, as Black Panther director Ryan Coogler so eloquently put it in his touching tribute to the late actor, Boseman is still continuing to impact people living. According to the celebrity gossip site, several organizations whose mission is to fight colorectal cancer has seen a massive spike in donations, awareness, and care for those who are battling the debilitating disease.
Anjee Davis, President of Fight Colorectal Cancer, told TMZ that her organization has seen a “major boost” in donations and social media engagement, which led to almost raising $10,000. Davis adds that money will aid in the development of better treatments and to search for a cure and hopes this will push people to start getting screened for colon cancer much sooner, look into their family history and stay alert for the signs.
Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, is also reporting the same results as well. Sapienza hopes Boseman’s secret four-year battle with the disease inspires more people to talk about their fight with colon cancer “to shed the stigma … especially” and encourage more younger people like Boseman to take the threat of it more seriously because it is increasingly affecting them.
Cindy Borassi, Interim President for the Colon Cancer Foundation, also focused on colon cancer’s impact on younger Americans and pointed out that screenings have declined sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Per TMZ:
Like COVID-19, colon cancer also is affecting Blacks at an alarming rate as well. In an ABC News report, Rebecca L. Siegel, the American Cancer Society’s scientific director of surveillance research, stated:
“Overall, black individuals are about 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 40% more likely to die. We’re expecting about 50,000 deaths from colorectal cancer this year in the U.S., overall.”
Boseman’s death is calling us to assemble in the fight to rid the world of cancer.
Photo: The Washington Post / Getty
