Published: February 16, 2008 12:39 am      

Thanking Oprah

Jodi and Jeff Waymoth of Effingham will appear on an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” Tuesday to thank Oprah and Dr. Mehmet Oz for some life-saving information about colon cancer.

“I had the opportunity to thank Oprah and Dr. Oz for their episode two years ago on colon and bowel problems,” Waymoth said. “It was this episode that prompted me to schedule my colonoscopy, which revealed my colon cancer.”

Two years ago, Jodi was a busy mother with two toddlers and a full-time job at Mid America Motorworks. She also had some nagging symptoms (weight loss, continuous irritable bowel syndrome, bleeding and fatigue) that wouldn’t go away.

“I was watching an episode where Oprah and Dr. Oz were discussing colon and bowel problems. They showed a colonoscopy on the air. After I watched it, I was prompted to have mine scheduled,” Jodi said.

Since her diagnosis, Jodi went through months of chemotherapy and surgery on her 31st birthday. She is now in good health and goes to regular checkups with her doctor.

Jodi is especially grateful to her surgeon, Dr. Ruben Boyajian, and her oncologist, Dr. Phil Dy, for helping her recover.

Jodi described her trip to Oprah’s talk show as a whirlwind adventure. She felt compelled to thank Oprah by sending her an e-mail. One year later, she was contacted by a producer.

On Sunday, Jan. 27, the producer called her back to ask Jodi if she could be on the show by Wednesday. Looking back, Jodi is glad she didn’t have more time to worry about everything, but packing, making travel plans, arranging day care, and gathering two years’ worth of medical history in 24 hours was challenging.

Waymoth was thankful to her doctors and their staff, who compiled her medical records by the next afternoon. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, Jodi and her husband, Jeff, traveled to Chicago. Upon arrival, they taped an advance interview on Wednesday, and then sat in the front row of the audience during the show’s taping on Thursday.

“Oprah and the Harpo staff were all so nice. They treated us very well. They brought us from the hotel in a limo, and then Jeff and I got to do hair and makeup. It was really fun,” Jodi said.

Jodi’s five-year-old daughter, Ellie, is especially excited.

“My daughter has been telling kids in pre-k that her picture will be on Oprah,” she said.

The segment will feature portions of the taped interview and the episode which prompted Jodi to get a colonoscopy, as well as still photos of the Waymoth family and Jodi’s tumor.

The Waymoths will be on a question-and-answer show with Dr. Oz, professor and vice chairman of surgery at Columbia University and a regular contributor to the talk show.

The segment is short, only a couple of minutes long.

“While the show isn’t focused on cancer awareness, I definitely looked at it as a way to create awareness and prompt others to take action,” she said.

Dr. Oz did a segment on colon cancer with Dr. Jon LaPook, the medical correspondent for “CBS Evening News,” that aired on Dec. 6. The episode recap on Oprah’s Web site contains some advice on colon cancer.

“Dr. LaPook warns against the prevailing misconception that colon cancer is a disease that only affects men, the elderly or people with a family history of the disease,” the recap states.

“In fact, he says not only are women also affected by the disease, but that 70 percent of people who get colon cancer do not have a family history of the ailment and that 10 percent of people who develop the disease are under the age of 50.”

LaPook also warned viewers they cannot detect colon cancer on their own. Polyps and colon cancer almost never cause symptoms until the cancer is at an advanced stage, he said.

“I would tell people to listen to their bodies. They have to be aggressive with screenings and testings,” Jodi said. “Children who are adopted need to approach their medical history aggressively. It’s important to know.”

Jodi, who is adopted, found out after her diagnosis that her biological father has a family history of colon cancer.

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. The cancer forms in the tissues of the colon, the longest part of the large intestine.

Colorectal cancer is a term used to describe cancer beginning in either the colon or the rectum. The National Cancer Institute estimated 112,340 new cases of colon cancer and 52,180 deaths from colorectal cancer in the United States in 2007.

In 2003, President George Bush declared March National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. One of the goals of the administration’s “Healthy People 2010” campaign is to reduce the rate of colorectal cancer deaths by 34 percent by 2010.

The president’s proclamation states one of the best ways to reduce colorectal cancer deaths are regular cancer screenings for people 50 or older.

“Researchers estimate that if everyone age 50 or older received regular colorectal cancer screenings, at least one-third of the deaths would be prevented,” reads the proclamation.

People who are younger than 50 should be aware of the symptoms and risk factors as well. Waymoth was only 30 when she was diagnosed with colon cancer and believes she may have had the disease for “some time” before being properly diagnosed.

“The Oprah Winfrey Show” airs in Effingham at 4 p.m. on WCIA and at 10 p.m. on WCFN.

For more information on colorectal cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute at www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/colon-and-rectal.

Angie Faller can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or angie.faller@

effinghamdailynews.com.