KAREN CHARLESWORTH

Karen Charlesworth knows how important your family medical history can be.

When Karen went to her doctor with fatigue, he diagnosed her with depression. Medication didn’t work, and a few months later she found a large bump on her side. With her doctor on vacation, Karen saw a new doctor who sent her directly to the hospital.

She had immediate surgery and was told she had stage III colon cancer, although she had been unaware of her family history. Two uncles died of the disease, and her father was diagnosed two years after Karen. After 15 years cancer-free, more than anything she wants her daughters to get colonoscopies.