National Dress in Blue Day – March 5, 2027

History of National Dress in Blue Day

The idea for National Dress in Blue Day is Anita Mitchell’s, a stage IV colon cancer survivor who had lost her father and a close friend to the illness. Struck by the realization that both of these tragedies could have been prevented, Mitchell decided to raise greater awareness of colon cancer. In 2006, she worked with her children’s school to coordinate a recognition day when students were encouraged to wear a blue outfit of their choice and make a $1 donation to colon cancer awareness.

Mitchell brought the ‘Dress in Blue Day’ concept to the Colon Cancer Alliance who officially launched it in 2009 with a nationwide campaign. It was also a means to honor those suffering from the disease. The Colon Cancer Alliance encourages people to be active in recognizing and seeking help for colon cancer by getting screened regularly to detect any warning signs before the situation becomes much more serious. Diagnosis of colorectal cancer cases through screening tends to occur two to three years before the diagnosis of cases with symptoms. A screening has the potential to reduce colon cancer deaths by 60%. It has been found, in fact, that most colorectal cancers can be preventable with increased surveillance and lifestyle changes. Simple diet changes or increased physical activity can ward off the risks of developing colon cancer.

The possible earliest case of cancer in humans was in the Ptolemaic period of 305 to 30 B.C. as discovered by American researcher Michael Zimmerman who found evidence of rectal cancer in the tissues of an Egyptian mummy of that period. This makes colorectal cancer arguably the oldest cancer type known to man. Zimmerman and fellow Egyptian mummy researcher Rosalie David did not find evidence of other cancers until the 17th century. Hodgkin’s lymphoma may have first been reported in 1832, but it was referenced by Marcello Malpighi as early as 1666. However, the first scientific records describing elements similar to tumors are all as recent as the last three centuries. For example, in 1775, scrotal cancer was discovered to be a high risk for chimney sweepers; in 1761, snuff was connected to nasal cancer.