Greece, N.Y. - St. Patrick's Day is usually filled with green beer and Irish dancing, but this year, people were given an opportunity to learn about a disease that impacts hundreds of people in Monroe County every year.

On Friday, URMC invited people to stop by its inflatable colon exhibit at the Mall on Greece Ridge. The project aims to teach people about colorectal cancer, and how to prevent it.

Staff from the Wilmot Cancer Institute were on hand, talking to people about the importance of getting screened.

"Lots of people are impacted by colon cancer, and it usually starts and develops over a number of years," said Meghan Blazey, a nurse practitioner at the Wilmot Cancer Institute. "Everybody 45 years or older should talk to their doctor about getting a colonoscopy screening, and if you have a family history of colon cancer, it may be recommended that you start earlier, or have a colonoscopy more frequently."

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

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