Katie Couric will never stop advocating for people with colon cancer.
In a conversation, the legendary journalist and entrepreneur, 68, opened up about her commitment to raising awareness and funds for colon cancer research for more than two decades.
The cause hits close to home. Her first husband Jay Monahan died in 1998 of colon cancer, while her sister Emily died of pancreatic cancer two years later. Couric received her own breast cancer diagnosis in 2022.
Recently Couric teamed up with the Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences, a golf tournament using its platform to share the stories of over 300 colon cancer patients, survivors and caregivers. It’s the third most common cancer in the world, after lung and breast cancers, and kills over 52,000 people in the U.S. every year,
The golf tournament, which took place March 7-9 in Tucson, Ariz., raised $50K for survivors.
“I got to meet with 300 colon cancer advocates who are working to spread the word about screening and the need for more research, and they’re all dedicated and committed to the cause,” she tells PEOPLE. “So that was really fun and gratifying.”
“It’s very worrisome to see the number of people under the age of 50 who are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer increase,” she adds. “I’m really trying to spread the word that the age for screening has been reduced to 45. Unfortunately, only 20% of people between the ages of 45 and 49 have gotten screened. So there’s a lot of wood to chop in that area.”
The American Cancer Society recommends that adults 45 and up get regular colon cancer screenings, either stool analyses or colonoscopies. And they urge people with symptoms of colon cancer — such as a change in bowel movements, like increased diarrhea; rectal bleeding; dark stools; unexpected weight loss; cramping and excess fatigue — to get checked out by a doctor.
However, they emphasize the need for preemptive screenings, as these symptoms typically only appear after colon cancer has already spread.
Couric says that after so many years of raising awareness, she still gets excited about finding new ways to shed light on the issue.
“I took Jimmy Kimmel to get a colonoscopy. I’ve been trying to see if Kevin Hart, who just turned 45, will be my next victim… I mean patient,” she quips.
“I never run out of ways to talk about colon cancer,” she says. “Sometimes I try to use humor, sometimes I try to use celebrities, and sometimes I really just talk directly to my audience about the importance of getting screened. Even if I’m giving a speech that has nothing to do about cancer, whether it’s a few people or a big crowd, I always remind them about getting screened. Screening saves lives.”
Couric stresses that because cancer has touched her life so closely, her longtime advocacy work comes from a place of sincerity.
“Because I experienced what happens when colon cancer isn’t detected early, I think I speak from a very pure and honest place. People just need to be reminded because it isn’t necessarily at the top of their to-do list.”
“I think my level of empathy has skyrocketed because of my personal experience,” she admits.
“I’d like to think that I’ve always been a very empathetic person, but having gone through an experience of having a loved one diagnosed and having my husband die of the disease has really made me appreciative of how scary and overwhelming it can be,” she tells PEOPLE. “I appreciate how overwhelming and upsetting it is when you hear those three words: ‘You have cancer.’ So I try my best to really help.”
