Carol Hatten was born in 1945, in Rosebud, SD. She is a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and is a mother to five children, and grandmother to seven grandchildren. Carol currently resides in Rapid City, SD, and is an active member of the He Sapa Elders Committee. She enjoys spending time with her peers and completing jigsaw puzzles in her free time.

Carol has a family history of cancer and lost her mother in 2017, to the disease. Carol is unsure of which specific cancer her mother had, but she passed away shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Carol also has a younger brother, who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Fortunately, her brother’s colorectal cancer was caught early, and he is now cancer free!

After losing a close family friend to colorectal cancer, Carol decided to get screened. Due to abnormal results, from her at-home screening, she was recommended for a colonoscopy. Carol had two polyps removed during her colonoscopy. Polyps are abnormal tissue growths that can turn into cancer overtime.

Carol credits colorectal cancer screening to saving her life and her brother’s. Although Carol feared a cancer diagnosis she completed her screening and is very thankful that she did. “No matter how healthy you feel, you should do the screening. I had no symptoms but did have polyps removed. Don’t wait until you have symptoms! If you are 50 years old, get screened.”