Welcome to Snuggles Quilts Blog! I hope you are enjoying the #SewPink blog hop so far. I am thrilled that ByAnnie.com decided to include awareness of the other types of cancers many of us deal with in our families. 

My focus for this hop is colorectal cancer awareness. The ribbon color is blue. So if you see this ribbon below anywhere, you will know that the focus is on colorectal cancer awareness.

We in my family have dealt with this type of cancer for many years. My mom, who recently passed at 91 years old, was a two time survivor of colorectal cancer. As a result of being in a high risk category for this type of cancer, my sisters and I have been undergoing preventive measures since our mid 30s. Colonoscopy time has happened every 5 years for me since I was 35. 

However many people are not aware of their risks for this cancer and unfortunately, if it is not detected until stage 4, that makes the battle all the harder, not un-winnable, but definitely harder. In 2025, it’s projected to be the 3rd most diagnosed cancer and the 2nd leading cause of cancer deaths among men and women combined. But… it’s still highly survivable if caught early. That’s good news!

Sadly, the incidence of this cancer, and late diagnosis, in people younger than 50 years old is rising. It’s actually rising more with them than in adults over age 50 since they are less likely to be screened at a young age. 

Of course there are genetic factors that cannot be controlled that determines your chances of getting this cancer. Be sure to share family history with your doctor, especially if you are under 50,  the age most doctors recommend you have a colonoscopy for the first time. Things you can control are diet and exercise, among other things. An unhealthy diet and a sedentary lifestyle are two things you can change to lessen your chances of getting this cancer.

For more facts and figures and information, here’s a link to the American Cancer Society’s information page on colorectal cancer.

New Pattern!

Now that I have educated you a bit, here’s my pattern I created for the hop called Shining Stars:

 

This is a table topper pattern that measures 36 x 36”. The PDF download is absolutely FREE from now until the end of 2025! Here is the link to the PDF: Shining Stars. You can make the whole topper, or you can make one ribbon star block and 3 small star blocks and piece together a small wall quilt.

I hope I helped to educate you on colorectal cancer and that you like my free pattern. Many thanks to ByAnnie.com for the #SewPink blog hops they do annually. Make sure to visit all the blogs featured this month to learn about the different types of cancers each blog participant focused on. To find these blogs, head to the ByAnnie.com #SewPink page for links to each.

Thanks for visiting and happy quilting!
Deanne