Vegan low-fiber diet update; CCCF Early Age Onset summit and walk at Citi Field

I'm resurrecting this blog following a years-long absence. It's really great to see that there were some comments on my post regarding being vegan on a low-fiber diet. Many have not heard of a low-fiber diet because this counter-intuitive food plan is usually associated with serious gastrointestinal issues. I am again on a low-fiber diet, in preparation for a colonoscopy. Just your standard colonoscopy which I now experience every two years, having recovered from colorectal cancer. A new addition to the "avoid" list this time (on the sheet I received regarding the diet) is tofu. Tofu! I plan to be in touch with the survivorship nurse at Sloan Kettering to discuss what could work for vegans who are prescribed this diet (to update what I've written already). I did see one gastroenterologist's website that did say that tofu was OK but I am going to dig a little deeper to see what is truly safe for vegans to eat on a low fiber diet. Will keep you posted. This year I participated in the Colon Cancer Challenge Foundation's Early Age Onset summit at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the CCCF walk at Citi Field the following day. The CCCF's EAO summit addressed a lot of important issues and brought together some incredible people all working to address the increasing number of people who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer at an early age. Here is the program for the summit. I was so excited to see that not only had a summit been organized about early onset colorectal cancer, but there were so many energized, young survivors so eager to help others from going through what they had experienced. A number of knowledgable folks from the medical community presented--bringing up issues ranging from the long-term repercussions of cancer treatment to the relationship between what you consume and the possibility of getting cancer. The walk was wonderful. Crowds of people showed up early in the morning at Citi Field in Queens, NY to walk and run to raise funds and awareness for colorectal cancer prevention, research, and treatment. Hosted by CCCF, inspiring people who had been affected by the disease spoke before we took off to walk around the perimeter of the field (and some ran a 5K). It was a cold and windy day but sunny and the energy of the event and the company of my boyfriend kept me going. It was a great community to be a part of, but of course there were moments of sadness and grief, thinking of those who had succumbed to the disease--and their loved ones. A lot of progress. And a lot to be done.