Colossal Colon

Glens Falls - In 1995, Molly McMaster was a healthy, athletic, outgoing teen-ager with a bright future ahead.
Four years later, she was considering suicide.

Initially suffering abdominal discomfort and stomach pain, she got the news on her 23rd birthday. A surgeon informed her of the diagnosis - Stage II colon cancer.
Today, McMaster, a Saratoga Springs resident, is in her 20s and living proof of the adage, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

In the past two years, McMaster ran - and finished - the New York City Marathon, and in-line skated from Glens Falls to Colorado, while raising cancer awareness and money for a number of organizations.
Last December, she was one of the Olympic torchbearers in Saratoga Springs.
McMaster’s latest project is in a 4-foot-tall by 40-foot-long colon replica, that currently is being unveiled at the Aviation Mall in Queensbury.

With as many twists and turns as - well - a large intestine, the 40-foot-long body replica known as “Colossal Colon” went on public display Thursday.
Finishing her morning co-hosting shift on location for Glens Falls radio station WCQL, McMaster watched the crowds congregating around the lengthy display.

“Very inter-resting,” said one adult, while his pre-school age daughter crawled through the tunnel.
“Oh, it’s gross. I’m not crawling through there,” said another.

Cancer is not a pretty sight, which is precisely McMaster’s point.
Three years ago, McMaster was diagnosed with colon cancer. Ever since then, she has been determined to build public awareness of the disease, and to inform the public of measures for its effective diagnosis.
“The most common symptom of colon cancer is that there are no symptoms at all,” McMaster said.
She also said it is very commonly misdiagnosed.
A table full of literature spells out the other warning signs: Unexplained weight loss and anemia, vomiting and lack of energy. Additionally, changes in bowel habits and abdominal pain or discomfort should set off some red flags.
The “Colossal Colon” structure was funded by The Cancer Research Foundation of America and Roche Pharmaceuticals, and its construction was developed by Adirondack Scenic Inc.
It is lined with a number of plastic polyps, internally and externally. Plaques with medical descriptions are affixed to affected areas.
A half-dozen outer viewing portals allow for a birds’-eye view of the interior for those too squeamish to crawl inside.

“Ow, it’s disgusting in there!” said Mike - a young man on spring break who would only go by his first name - but he added that it certainly drew his attention to the disease.
“A lot of people have been coming in and bringing their kids,” said Zach Nasr, manning the Cingular Wireless kiosk directly in front of the display. “It seems like many of them are learning a lot of information.”
While the display may have made some uncomfortable, it brought home an important point that won’t soon be forgotten.

“I have seen all these people come out, and I think that - for all the parents and entire families - they are giving their kids something that they will always remember,” an admittedly exhausted, but still-enthusiastic, McMaster said at day’s end.

As for McMaster’s future, there is the ongoing task of increasing colon cancer awareness, her morning radio show and the coaching of a youth hockey team.

“I’m a survivor,” she said, simply.
There’s a chance she will be adding to her resume in the near future as well.
“I have an agent in New York City,” she said, and she has designs on telling her story in print.
What kind of a book does she envision?
“I hope that it will be inspirational and an insight into a survivor’s experiences,” she said.

by Thomas Dimopoulos
The Saratogian, 2002-2004