BATON ROUGE - Saturday, the community ran to raise awareness for colon cancer in the "Get Your Rear In Gear" 5K. Some of those runners didn't think they'd be here today after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, but it's also treatable through screening and early detection.

Over 500 people ran in the 5K, with some survivors and some friends and family of a loved one who lost their battle with colon cancer.

Elisha Hamilton is a survivor of 15 years after she was diagnosed in 2010 at 43-years-old. 

"After I did the colonoscopy ,I was admitted into the hospital, and that weekend, I had to have 29 centimeters of my colon removed because I had a tumor that was cancerous," Hamilton said. "Always get tested, never be afraid. I tell them when you get tested, you're going to be asleep, and when you wake up, it's over with. It's nothing to be afraid of, it saved my life."

Charles Mortin has a lengthy story all summed up in a year.

He was diagnosed with COVID-19 in March of 2020. After leaving the hospital, he was required to do a physical before going back to work, that is when he received the news. 

"When I went to take my physical, they asked me to take a colonoscopy, then I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer," Mortin said.

He was 58 at the time, and says he had no family history of colon cancer.

"If it hadn't been for COVID I probably would've been dead, because I never had a symptom at all, not one symptom," Mortin said.

Due to complications from chemotherapy, Mortin had to have a pacemaker implanted. Today, he says he feels better than ever. 

"I mean the sky's the limit, I feel like a 25-year-old. I'm doing things now that I've never done before," Mortin said.

Doctors are now recommending that you start getting screened for colon cancer at the age of 45.