Get to Know Grace Butler, Colorectal Cancer Survivor

When Grace Butler was diagnosed with cancer, her immediate reaction was unusual — she smiled. Not because she found out she had cancer, but because she was relieved.

“For more than eight months, I had been ailing and visiting my doctor’s office about once every month,” Butler says. “I smiled before I cried because the reason for my ailing had finally been diagnosed.”

Butler experienced symptoms that let her know something was not right with her body, but her symptoms were not the typical symptoms associated with colorectal cancer. Instead, she experienced sickness in her stomach in the middle of the night that she describes as “a feeling of discomfort unlike any feeling I’ve ever had.”

Butler Starts Hope Through Grace
After being successfully treated for her cancer, Butler’s faith prompted her to found Hope Through Grace in 2002, an organization established to raise colorectal cancer awareness through workshops in churches, community organizations, institutions of higher education, apartment complexes for senior citizens and shelters that provide temporary housing.

“I was troubled to find that people were dying unnecessarily from a cancer that is highly preventable, and I knew I had to do something to change it,” Butler says.

New Program Covers Colonoscopy Costs
In 2007, Hope Through Grace started a new program entitled “Bottoms Up” which offers baseline colonoscopy screening for the uninsured. Through this program, Hope Through Grace helps to cover the cost of a baseline colonoscopy screening exam for those who cannot afford health insurance or for those who are medically underserved.

To date, 58% of those screened through this program were found to have problems in their colon, such as a suspicious polyp. None in this group had experienced any symptoms related to colorectal cancer prior to examination. All have received the clinical care needed to address the problem.

Getting Screened for Colorectal Cancer Saves Lives
“Many lives could be saved every year by following recommended screening guidelines for colorectal cancer,” Butler says. “It is particularly important that individuals over the age of 50 and individuals with a family history of the disease get screened because these factors put them at higher risk for developing the disease.”