Marking the announcement of C.A.S.U.A.L. Day in Wyoming County, which will be held on March 26, were (from left) Wyoming County commissioner Tom Henry, administrative assistant Linda Stacknick, Amanda Marchegiani of the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, and commissioners Rick Wilbur and Ernie King.
Photo and Story by Rick Hiduk
Northeast Regional Cancer Institute (NRCI) community relations director Amanda Marchegiani met with the Wyoming County Commissioners on Tuesday to seek a county-wide proclamation for the 17th annual CASUAL Day, when employees at the courthouse in Tunkhannock traditionally dress down to raise awareness for colorectal cancer in northeast Pennsylvania.
The commissioners agreed that CASUAL Day will be held this year on Thursday, March 26. County employees will be led again this year by team leader Linda Stacknick, a courthouse administrative assistant. In previous years, they have raised more that $1,100 for NRCI through the sales of T-shirts.
This year, options include long and short sleeve shirts, wrist bands, and pins, and commissioner Tom Henry invited county residents to also purchase a shirt and join county employees at the courthouse for a group photo at 10 a.m. on March 26.
“Everyone is welcome to participate,” Henry stated. In addition to the courthouse, the shirts will be available at Gays True Value in Tunkhannock. Shirts cost $20 each, and wristbands and pins are $5 each. This year’s shirts, as seen on Marchegiani in the above photo are produced in “Texas orange.”
The overall rate of colon cancer in the United States has begun to decrease, Marchegiani related, in large part because of these awareness campaigns. “Early detection is the key,” she remarked. “If screened and caught early, it can be prevented.” Nonetheless, she added, “Incidents of colon cancer and mortality rates remain higher in our area than other parts of the country.”
As much as 12 percent higher, according to information Marchegiani provided. Approximately 515 new cases were diagnosed last year in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties, and about 200 people died from the disease.
CASUAL is an acronym for Colon Cancer Awareness Saves Unlimited Adult Lives. To see other purchase locations and read more about the initiative, interested readers can log on to http://cancernepa.org/newsevents/special-events/c-a-s-u-a-l-day-2020/.