BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — This week, Baton Rouge General Hospital is the site of a colossal, 20-foot colon walk-through. The inflatable model illustrates polyps and cancer on a damaged colon and how a normal, healthy colon appears.

The model is one aspect of a program designed to spread awareness about the importance of colonoscopy screenings.

Baton Rouge General Colorectal Surgeon Dr. Scott Daugherty said it’s key that younger adults be screened.

“Just being from this area increases your incidence of colon cancer. But we’re also seeing it in younger individuals. That’s one reason we moved the age from 50 to 45 for starting your screenings,” Daugherty said.

Mary Bird Perkins Vice President of Cancer Support and Outreach Renea Duffin said that in between colonoscopies, people can use a self-administrated test kit.

“Individuals can do a fecal immunochemical test kit. We provide those in the community at no cost for individuals to take home self-administered, mail them in, we get their results and if they have a positive test, we work with them to insure they follow up with a colonoscopy,” Duffin said.

Duffin also mentioned a few symptoms for many to be aware of.

“Are changes your bowel habits, blood in your stool, and if you have a family member history of colon cancer. It is important also that you get screened,” Duffin said.

Visit www.marybird.org for more information about where Mary Bird Perkins will be offering free colorectal screening kits.