A giant inflatable colon is an in your face way of raising awareness about colon cancer.  It's the second most deadly form of cancer; it claims 50,000 lives every year.

"That equivalent to 18 plane crashes a month and if there were 18 plane crashes a month something would be done about it and the commonality between plane crashes and colorectal cancer is they are both preventable," said Dr. Frank Berger, Director of the Center for Colon Cancer Research at USC.

The disease is more prevalent in African Americans.  Ros Squirewell was diagnosed in 1995.  She has since overcome the disease.

"I had chemotherapy and then I realized that I felt good about talking about it because I felt that it was therapeutic for me to talk about it," she said.

Along with talking about it, many are experiencing it first hand by walking through the giant colon.  Inside they get a chance to see the various stages of the disease. 

"It's a part of the body people just don't talk about and are embarrassed to talk about and when there's a rare time that symptoms do occur it's much much too late," Dr. Berger said.

"The main message is that if you want to do something good for yourself go and get yourself screened by a doctor," Squirewell said.

About 800 South Carolinians die every year as a result of colon cancer.

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