A stunned, devastated and overwhelmed Ken Griffey Jr. has learned this week that not one, but both parents have been diagnosed with cancer. His father, former Cincinnati Reds player Ken Griffey Sr. has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and his mother, Alberta "Bertie" Griffey has been diagnosed with colon cancer. His father's prostate cancer has been discovered in its early stage but his mother is scheduled for colon cancer surgery today.

Faced with tough decisions, he is not certain if he will play baseball this week or spend time with his parents. It is reported that his mother has asked him to continue playing baseball and the Reds manager has stated it wouldn't be a problem if Griffey wanted to take time off to be with his family.

According to Medline Plus, excluding skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in men and in women in the United States. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that about 106,680 new cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed this year alone. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, for American men. The ACS estimates that one in six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. In the US, there are approximately 1.8 million prostate cancer survivors.