SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Carey Carvalho calls himself "paranoid" for wanting to get a colonoscopy as frequently as possible.
But his doctor says he is just smart.
"Early detection and screening can take a death sentence and turn it to a curable condition," said Doctor Candace Sprott, a physician in Oceanside with Kaiser Permanente.
During his third colonoscopy last November, Carvalho's doctor found four polyps, or abnormal cells, during the screening.
The cells were not cancerous and they were removed them during the colonoscopy, but Dr. Sprott says early detection like this prevents the cells from developing into cancer.
"If you are in a higher risk group, we should definitely screen for it so we can prevent that from harming you or killing you," said Dr. Sprott.
Carvalho's interest in getting a colonoscopy sparked after he lost his father to cancer.
"Anything I can do to prevent that from happening to me. I want to be around to walk my daughter down the aisle," said Carvalho.
Carvalho was raised in Jamaica.
For years, he thought his father died from colon cancer, but bladder cancer was actually the cause.
He says the misunderstanding comes from the shame around talking about health problems in his culture.
"In Jamaica... Just forget about it. Don't deal with that cause it's seen as a certain stigma," said Carvalho.
Now, Carvalho tells anyone who will listen about the importance of a colonoscopy and other early detections screenings for cancer.
"The prep is the worst part," said Carvalho, referring to the process of clearing the colon the day before the screening.
On Friday, First Lady Jill Biden visited the Logan Heights Family Center, pushing to improve access to cancer screenings and early detection for underserved communities.
"Having the support of our leadership in this country as well as our Surgeon General... is only helpful," said Dr. Sprott, referring to public figures who are advocating for early cancer screenings.
The Biden Administration's Cancer Moonshot coalition has a goal of reducing the cancer death rate by half within 25 years.
