This e-mail might be a little … well, to be honest, personal. But it’s about a medical issue that I’ve recently realized is incredibly important.

In Washington, nearly 1,000 men and women die from colon cancer every year. In many cases, screening could have identified telltale polyps before they turned into cancer. In fact, early screening can prevent one in three deaths related to colon cancer.

But if you put off screening, detection at an advanced stage can come with a sobering 10 percent survival rate. Is that a risk you’re willing to take?

Are you at risk? Take a simple survey to assess your risk.

Talk to your doctor.

How do you screen for colon cancer? There are several methods, some of which allow precancerous polyps to be removed during the screening test. This technology has saved thousands of lives, but only for those who got screened.

To determine which type of test is right for you, just talk to your doctor.

Learn more about screening. It’s easier than you might think.

Many people have died because they didn’t get screened. If you are age 50 or older or at high risk of the disease, please promise to talk to your doctor about colon-cancer screening. Even if you’re younger, you can help by forwarding this e-mail to at least five other people you care about.

See community leaders who have spoken out about the importance of colon health.

Get involved.

Just promise me – and more important, make the promise to yourself, your family and your friends – to talk to your doctor about colon-cancer screening. Then forward this e-mail to at least five people.

Add your voice and declare your support for this critical cause. Every life that we can help save makes a world of difference.

Declare your support today by visiting the endcoloncancernow.org web site for more information.