Craig Melvin Stays Hopeful
- The “Today” co-host and MSNBC anchor stays hopeful during the pandemic by remembering that “This too shall pass.”
- Melvin has been a vocal advocate for colon cancer awareness since his brother, Lawrence, was diagnosed with the disease in 2017.
- Melvin previously told SurvivorNet that it’s important to have those potentially uncomfortable conversations about family medical history; it could save your life.
Today co-host and colon cancer advocate Craig Melvin is doing his best to stay positive and resilient in the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic; he believes the best days in life are yet to come.
Related: TODAY’s Craig Melvin Shares a Message for the SurvivorNet Family: Colon Cancer Does Affect Younger Adults — Learn About it & Screen For it
He tells SurvivorNet that while the pandemic has been challenging, there is light ahead. Melvin says he is “staying positive and hopeful by constantly reminding myself that, as my grandmother used to say, ‘This too shall pass.'”
“This is merely a chapter in our story, this is not the whole story.”
For all the challenges this year has brought, Melvin says that “we are going to be better off” for having fought through the COVID-19 pandemic, as it has taught us to be grateful for every good thing in life.
Related: 7 Cancer Survivors Share How Gratitude, Faith, & Seeking the Good In Life Help Give Them Strength
Melvin previously sat down with SurvivorNet to discuss another issue close to his heart: colon cancer awareness, especially for younger men. His brother Lawrence was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017 at only 39 years old.
TODAY’s Craig Melvin Shares a Message for the SurvivorNet Family: Colon Cancer Does Affect Younger Adults — Learn About it & Screen For it
Lawrence’s diagnosis is part of a broader trend of more colon cancer cases in people under 45, even as rates of the disease overall continue to fall. Doctors are unsure why cases are in increasing in younger adults.
Related: Chadwick Boseman Honored On What Would Have Been His 44th Birthday With Tributes Fit for a King: ‘Black Panther’ Star Died of Colon Cancer in August
Once his brother was diagnosed, Melvin discovered that he had a long family history with the disease. When members of your family have colon cancer it puts you at greater risk. Melvin told SurvivorNet that he never would have known about this history if he didn’t ask uncomfortable questions and have conversations that most people avoid.
Related: “You Shouldn’t Die From Embarrassment”: Colon Cancer Can Be Prevented
“When you start to have conversations like that with family members and family history becomes apparent … then that leads to other conversations with primary care physicians,” he told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “If one person does it and goes to their primary care physician, who then refers them to someone and they get a colonoscopy and they find something, we may have saved one life.”
Why It’s Crucial to Know Your Family Health History — Today’s Craig Melvin Shares a Personal Colon Cancer Awareness Message
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
Craig Melvin Stays Hopeful
- The “Today” co-host and MSNBC anchor stays hopeful during the pandemic by remembering that “This too shall pass.”
- Melvin has been a vocal advocate for colon cancer awareness since his brother, Lawrence, was diagnosed with the disease in 2017.
- Melvin previously told SurvivorNet that it’s important to have those potentially uncomfortable conversations about family medical history; it could save your life.
co-host and colon cancer advocate Craig Melvin is doing his best to stay positive and resilient in the face of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic; he believes the best days in life are yet to come.
Related: TODAY’s Craig Melvin Shares a Message for the SurvivorNet Family: Colon Cancer Does Affect Younger Adults — Learn About it & Screen For it
Read More He tells
SurvivorNet that while the pandemic has been challenging, there is light ahead. Melvin says he is “staying positive and hopeful by constantly reminding myself that, as my grandmother used to say, ‘This too shall pass.'”
“This is merely a chapter in our story, this is not the whole story.”
For all the challenges this year has brought, Melvin says that “we are going to be better off” for having fought through the COVID-19 pandemic, as it has taught us to be grateful for every good thing in life.
Related: 7 Cancer Survivors Share How Gratitude, Faith, & Seeking the Good In Life Help Give Them Strength
Melvin previously sat down with SurvivorNet to discuss another issue close to his heart: colon cancer awareness, especially for younger men. His brother Lawrence was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2017 at only 39 years old.
TODAY’s Craig Melvin Shares a Message for the SurvivorNet Family: Colon Cancer Does Affect Younger Adults — Learn About it & Screen For it
Lawrence’s diagnosis is part of a broader trend of more colon cancer cases in people under 45, even as rates of the disease overall continue to fall. Doctors are unsure why cases are in increasing in younger adults.
Related: Chadwick Boseman Honored On What Would Have Been His 44th Birthday With Tributes Fit for a King: ‘Black Panther’ Star Died of Colon Cancer in August
Once his brother was diagnosed, Melvin discovered that he had a long family history with the disease. When members of your family have colon cancer it puts you at greater risk. Melvin told SurvivorNet that he never would have known about this history if he didn’t ask uncomfortable questions and have conversations that most people avoid.
Related: “You Shouldn’t Die From Embarrassment”: Colon Cancer Can Be Prevented
“When you start to have conversations like that with family members and family history becomes apparent … then that leads to other conversations with primary care physicians,” he told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “If one person does it and goes to their primary care physician, who then refers them to someone and they get a colonoscopy and they find something, we may have saved one life.”
Why It’s Crucial to Know Your Family Health History — Today’s Craig Melvin Shares a Personal Colon Cancer Awareness Message
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
