At Fight Colorectal Cancer, we head straight to “the top” when it comes to demanding a cure for this dreaded disease. Our advocates hit Capitol Hill each March to meet with members of Congress. And throughout the year, a special committee ensures that actions for CRC advocacy are taken.

Meet the newest members of the Grassroots Action Committee of Fight CRC – the team behind the magic that happens year after year at our annual advocacy event, Call-on Congress.

What is the GAC?

The Grassroots Action Committee was formed to coalesce the passions of die-hard colorectal cancer advocates. We consider the GAC our “super committee!” They are committed, engaged advocates who take action when asked and provide advice for engaging and empowering the grassroots advocates.

·         Participating in meetings to communicate priorities and provide input on federal and state legislation

·         Contributing to the development of the advocacy and outreach programs

·         Mentoring advocates at Call-on Congress

·         Guiding the agenda for Call-on Congress

 

Meet Belle, Michell and Patti!

This year, the GAC is adding three wonderful women to the squad.

Belle

Belle Piazza is a stage III rectal cancer survivor diagnosed in October 2007 (27 of 38 lymph nodes were positive.) Belle just happens to be Miss February 2012 of The Colondar. She underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. In 2011, she had a recurrence in her lungs and lymph nodes and is now on “chemo for life.” As a patient who fights for answers, Belle met up with Fight Colorectal Cancer for the first time in 2012. After her late friend, Pat Steer’s, encouragement to attend Call-on Congress, she traveled to Washington DC from the Portland area with her family. She enjoyed Call-on Congress and jumped at the opportunity to get involved on the planning level. As an organizer and planner, Belle looks forward to serving as a resource for anyone who is new to Fight Colorectal Cancer and showing others how to get involved in the fight – either in DC and/or at home.

Michell

Michelle, left, with her two sisters.

Michell Baker is a 5-year veteran of the Call-on Congress. She and her two sisters looked for a way to get involved after their dad, Steve, passed away from colorectal cancer in 2008 at age 56. Struck that colorectal cancer is a preventable disease, the Baker sisters, from Oregon, have met with their representatives every March since 2009 and pushed for funding, research and colorectal cancer policy. This year, Michell is excited to get involved even more through the GAC. As the Executive Director of the Steve Baker Colorectal Cancer Alliance, she is excited to help plan the 2014 Call-on Congress and lead more advocates to become part of Fight CRC’s One Million Strong through local and national participation.

Patti

Patti lost her husband Harry to stage IV colorectal cancer just two days after Christmas in 2006. Starting in 2008, she attended the Call-on Congress and has made it her personal mission to carry on her husband’s memory and give meaning to his life and battle with colorectal cancer. She first got involved with Fight Colorectal Cancer after receiving helpful information and support from the ACOR List Serve and has since formed many close bonds within the group. A trained nurse from Pennsylvania, she changed her focus from critical care to oncology nursing in 2010 and now spends her time helping patients as an Oncology Nurse Navigator. Her mission is to spread awareness about CRC screening and support research whenever and wherever possible. In her own words, she “will not rest until CRC is as extinct as polio.”

The 2013-2014 GAC

Belle, Michell and Patti join a great group of committee members who’ve been leading the charge when it comes to colorectal cancer advocacy. The other GAC members include:

·         Rose and Eric Hausmann (committee chairs)

·         Josh Wimberly

·         Pam Seijo

·         Tom Fueller

·         Jennifer Bretsch

Are YOU interested in joining GAC?

Each GAC member is selected through a nomination process and serves a one-year term (that may be renewed or extended.) If you’d like to know more about how to Fight with Us, please contact us!

Join us in Times Square on March 1!

What better way to turn on March’s spotlight to colon cancer than an event in NYC’s Times Square!

If you own a smart phone, tweet or use Facebook please join Fight Colorectal Cancer for our One Million Strong kickoff on March 1.

Live in NYC? Even better.

Click here if you live or work near NYC.

Click here if you live elsewhere but still want to help!

Read on to learn how YOU can show the world why YOU are part of One Million Strong.

Times Square. March 1. Be There.

Live or work in NYC? Our team at Fight Colorectal Cancer needs YOU!

Here is the roundup of activities planned for the One Million Strong kickoff on March 1 in Times Square. Come before work, during your lunch break, after work or anytime in between!

Come share your story. Bring a friend, too!

Please register for the Times Square events if you can volunteer or participate. (No costs involved… we need to know how many to expect.)

Sponsors…

A special THANK YOU to our event sponsor, Bayer, and board member David Wicks, Vice President of the NASDAQ MarketSite, for making our One Million Strong kickoff in Times Square a reality!

Not in NYC? Not a problem.

Even if you will not be in NYC on March 1, help us kick off colon cancer awareness month on March 1. Share your story. Speak up. Take action.

• Take the One Million Strong pledge.
• Use our One Million Strong Facebook cover photo.
• “Share” our flyer and encourage your friends and family in NYC to come out to the event!
• Download a Twibbon for your Facebook profile.
• Submit a photo for the One Million Strong Facebook Photo competition.
• Tweet at @fightcrc and use hashtags #1milstrong, #Coloncancer, #Colorectalcancer to get colorectal cancer awareness TRENDING!

About One Million Strong Campaign

Did you know over one million colorectal cancer survivors live in the United States? Our One Million Strong campaign raises awareness of colorectal cancer and encourages action.

We demand a cure!

Take a commitment to courageously raise awareness, be an advocate and encourage others to join the fight against colorectal cancer.

Take the pledge now!

Approximately 80 more participants are needed for a multisite, Phase 3 clinical trial comparing laparoscopic-assisted versus conventional surgery in patients with stage IIA, Stage IIIA or stage IIIB rectal cancer. 

Eligible participants must have completed their pre-surgery chemotherapy (Xelox™ or fluorouracil-based) and/or pre-surgery radiation therapy within the previous 4 weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

Older men with several kinds of cancer–including colon cancer–do as well or better in the Veterans’ Health Administration as men covered by Medicare, according to a new study published by the Journal of Clinical Oncology in an advanced online release.

The Veterans’ Administration is the nation’s largest integrated health system, providing care for 6 million veterans a year who are eligible because of either service-related disabilities or economic disadvantage. The VHA launched a major reorganization in the mid-1990s to improve its quality of care through electronic records, better care coordination and mistake detection, and improved screening. Read the rest of this entry »

Contrary to what is happening for people over fifty, rates of colon and rectal cancer are rising in younger adults.

While new colorectal cancers in older people have fallen consistently since 1985, rates for people under 50 have risen, particularly for rectal cancer.

Even more concerning, young people with colon cancer were diagnosed at later, less curable stages than those 50 or older. Almost two-thirds had a stage III or IV cancer compared to half of people diagnosed at a later age.

In the Archives of Internal Medicine, Nancy You, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and her colleagues ask, “Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer: Is It Time to Pay Attention?”

Read the rest of this entry »