Trae Holiday Reports: Making Sense of Colon Cancer, Screening, and Community Wellness
Trae Holiday stands in front of a blow-up colon at the Matt Griffin YMCA in SeaTac, Washington during Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s colon cancer awareness event last Saturday. (Photo: Converge Media)
By Trae Holiday
On March 7th, 2026, the YMCA of Greater Seattle and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Fred Hutch) partnered on a family friendly event to share information on colon cancer screenings. The statistics show that colon cancer impacts communities of the global majority in large numbers. Being on the scene, we got to hear directly from some of the organizers and be in community with those in attendance.
Michelle Ndugulile, a Project Coordinator at Fred Hutch stated, “These kinds of events are important because it brings everyone together from different communities all over Seattle. We’re helping raise awareness for a really big issue which is colorectal cancer.”
This is Michelle’s second year volunteering for this event. She noted that there was information at booths to help people learn how to prevent the disease. “It’s important to know symptoms of [colon cancer] and prevention tactics for getting screened. It’s a very prevalent issue that’s more on the rise, especially with the younger generation nowadays,” she said.
Dr. Rachel Issaka, (left) and Trae Holiday (right) stand in the gym at the Matt Griffin YMCA in SeaTac, Washington during Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s colon cancer awareness event last Saturday. (Photo: Converge Media)
In addition to the information, they also had a large blow-up colon that had various types of colon damage inside the walkable fixture. Attendees got to walk through it and learn more about the difference between polyps, Crohn’s Disease, and colon cancer cells. The expert volunteer shared specifics of how polyps aren’t always cancerous, but colorectal cancer always shows polyps.
Dr. Rachel Issaka, the Director of Population Health Colorectal Cancer Screening Program at Fred Hutch highlighted that “more people need to understand what colon cancer is, how to prevent it, and what the impact could mean if they don’t. We want people to be aware of this disease, to take the steps to improve their health, and to get screened to prevent it.”
The family friendly nature of the event made it intergenerational. “We want to normalize these conversations so children can start really early thinking about their overall health, including their colon and talking to their families, asking- have you done your colon cancer screening?” Dr. Issaka said.
The staff at YMCA also expressed their desire to bring this information into the community. Rahel Behailu, the Program Executive of Health Equity explained that for the first time in history, the prevalence of colon cancer, prostate cancer, and breast cancer is higher under the age of 50, specifically among Black and brown populations.
“As part of our work to address cancer inequity, we partnered with Fred Hutch to make sure that our community members, who otherwise don’t have access to education and screening opportunities, can come here, get access, and learn how to connect with Fred Hutch,” Behailu said.
YMCA also has other programs to support healthy communities. They work to provide direct contact for health insurance, vaccinations, and health screenings- like blood pressure, A1C, and cholesterol.
Events like this help normalize the discussion in our communities. Gaining access to education and resources is a major part of closing the health disparity gap. The colon cancer screening is done through an easy test that should happen around age 45, and Fred Hutch is stepping up to be a resource.
“We’re not just there when they get cancer, but we want to be with them to help prevent cancer, and being in community is one way that we can do that. We are interested in the whole person and their overall health and it’s not just through the point of illness, it’s through the point of wellness,” Dr. Issaka said.
Learn more about Fred Hutch’s colon cancer information and resources here.
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