CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame member and a cancer survivor is helping a local hospital promote colon cancer screenings and research.
Former Chicago Blackhawk and hockey color commentator Eddie Olczyk was diagnosed and treated for Stage Three colon cancer in August 2017.
He says it took him by surprise because, at the time, he didn't have a family history of the disease; last year, his father was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Oncologist Mary Mulcahy said a surprising number of people younger than 50 are developing the form of cancer.
“A lot of our efforts need to go into understanding why this is,” she said at a news conference at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Northwestern has taken the first steps in developing a program that focuses on gastrointestinal cancers.