Former NFL player Mark Gastineau fights colon cancer

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) – Former NFL player Mark Gastineau shares his fight against colon cancer in hopes of saving lives.

The recommendation is to start routine screening for colon cancer at age 45, but an average of one in three adults who should be screened is not screened.

The old New York Jet is trying to change that to help save more lives.

He was a force on the football field. Gastineau played for the Jets for 10 seasons. By the time he retired, he had more bags than anyone else in the NFL.

But today, it is he who takes a hit.

At 62, Gastineau fights stage 3 colon cancer. He has undergone surgery, is currently undergoing 8 cycles of chemotherapy and will have to deal with 6 weeks of radiation therapy.

He admits to having deferred from having a colonoscopy – a screening test that could have detected the first signs of a cancer and treated it immediately. And he shares his personal battle in the hope of helping someone else.

"If you are not screened, you will never know it and it might be too late," he said.

Gastineau is treated at the Fox Chase Cancer Center.

As for being a Jet, now living in the Eagles territory …

"It's good, it's humiliating," Mark said.

And he and his wife, Jo Ann, adopted it by joining the Get Your Rear in Gear events in Philadelphia this week to help raise awareness in the community about colon cancer.

"For me, something in my heart said it was in a few weeks, there was a lot to do, but it's okay, we have to help people and let them know," said Jo Ann.

"There will be people you may want to see more than me, especially if it's the Eagles, but we want to raise awareness," Mark said.

And it's goal – to raise awareness and to ensure that more people are screened for colon cancer. In many cases, screening itself prevents cancer.

The Race and Get Your Rear in Gear March will take place this Sunday, March 24 at Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park.

For more information and to register or donate for the event, CLICK HERE.