Piper Mitchell’s grandmother, Connie, was always around to take care of her throughout her childhood, while Piper’s mother was away at work. Connie loved taking Piper to garage sales, walking to the local parks and all of the other good things a grandmother does for the granddaughter she adores.
This changed when Piper turned five, and Connie was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer. But even when Connie began her arduous treatment, she continued to be Piper’s caregiver.
Being this close to her grandmother throughout her treatment, Piper was able to view the struggles that come with fighting diseases such as colon cancer at a very young age. She began to understand the toll that the treatment was taking on her grandmother, pushing her to become more independent on the days that her grandmother needed more rest.
Fortunately, after a long five years, Connie was able to overcome her battle with colon cancer. By this time, Piper was 10, and she had learned many valuable lessons through her grandmother’s journey.
The first is that there shouldn’t be any stigma about discussing colorectal health with anyone, especially your doctor. Piper believes this is very important for younger generations to understand how there should be nothing embarrassing about maintaining good health in all parts of your body.
Piper also learned that it is imperative for people to pay attention to their bodies and not neglect early signs of disease. It’s possible that if Connie had been diagnosed sooner, she might have avoided some of her extensive treatments. 
Piper hopes her Grandmother’s story shows how colon cancer is curable. Connie is five years cancer free and Piper encourages all who are undergoing treatment or those who have loved ones that are diagnosed to never give up hope, and keep a strong mental attitude.
This year, Piper was awarded the title of 2022 Oklahoma Universal Teen, and has used her pageantry platform to promote more colon cancer awareness.
She’s also competing in Orlando for the title of Universal Miss Teen, where if she wins, she will continue to promote CRC awareness on a national scale.
