Volunteers Needed for Cancer Study

Scio Township resident Carol Yarrington, volunteer enrollment chairwoman for the American Cancer Society, is looking for volunteers for the ACS' third cancer-prevention study.

Yarrington will be on-site during the Ann Arbor Relay for Life on June 25 from 5-9 p.m. at Washtenaw Community College.

The study—enlisting the help of half a million people nationwide and following them for 20-30 years with surveys every two years—is a chance to help the ACS get closer to finding out what causes and prevents cancer.

“That’s a lofty goal and I’m thrilled to be part of it,” said Yarrington, adding that she has found tremendous support for this study in the community.

The previous studies focused on smoking and its affects on lung cancer, and obesity's link to certain types of cancer.

Participants must be 30 to 65 years old with no diagnosis of cancer—although basal or squamous cell skin cancer does not rule out eligibility.

Enrollment will include eligibility verification, willingness to complete surveys every two years and completion of a brief health questionnaire. A waist measurement and a small blood sample will be taken. A detailed health questionnaire will be mailed to the enrollees’ homes within two weeks.

Yarrington, whose mother died of lung cancer 22 years ago, said enrollees do not have to be part of the Relay For Life and no appointments are necessary.

Yarrington also organized the successful canine relay on May 7 at Independence Lake County Park in Whitmore Lake. She has worked for the cancer program at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital since 2002 and first became involved with the ACS in 2003, when she and her sister walked on the hospital’s team in a Relay for Life event in Brighton.

For information on the study, email cps3annarbor@gmail.com. For more information, visit the ACS website at www.cancer.org or call 800-227-2345.