Fight Colorectal Cancer and The Colon Club Merge

March 13, 2023 • By Elizabeth@FightCRC

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National advocacy nonprofit (Fight Colorectal Cancer) and The Colon Club, a nonprofit that has been raising awareness of colorectal cancer in young adults in “out-of-the-box” ways since the 2000s, are excited to announce that by the end of 2023, the two organizations will begin operating as one. For many years, leaders of the two organizations have formed close relationships, and advocates involved in both groups have shared their stories and gotten involved to create change. The merger will maximize the organizatons’ impact and expand the reach into the early-onset colorectal cancer community.

In 2000, The Colon Club became one of the first organizations to bring attention to early-age onset colorectal cancer. After being diagnosed with colon cancer on her 23rd birthday in 1999 and told she may be the only patient in the country, or the world, facing the disease so young, Molly McMaster Morgoslepov set out to do something about it. She co-founded The Colon Club and found crazy, attention-grabbing ways to bring awareness that colorectal cancer was happening in people well under age 50. Along the way, she met other patients who faced similar situations. For two decades, many young adults have joined The Colon Club through their many projects and online Message Boards to connect and offer up their stories.

Focusing on early-onset colorectal cancer is especially important because research shows the trends are increasing. According to a 2021 JAMA study, colorectal cancer is projected to become the leading cause of cancer related deaths in the next seven years for those under 50 if something doesn’t change. And between 1995 and 2019, colorectal cancer rates have doubled among people under 55, even as the overall incidence declined, according to new data from the American Cancer Society.  

“We are proud that The Colon Club has trusted Fight CRC to continue their mission to raise awareness for early-age onset colorectal cancer,” said Anjee Davis, Fight CRC President. “Fight CRC will continue the work of The Colon Club by providing a safe place for young survivors to meet and share stories.” 

“I was fortunate enough to be able to step away from The Colon Club for a few years and when I came back to the table, it was incredible to see the changes, all because more people were allowed to add ideas,” said McMaster Morgoslepov. “Fight CRC has been a large part of that because our missions and the people just seem to mesh.  I’m beyond excited to see what will happen when the merger is made official, and more passion and experience are added to the mix.”

Through the merger, The Colon Club will operate as a program powered by Fight Colorectal Cancer. Fight CRC and The Colon Club are dedicated to providing the community with an even stronger strategic network for early-age onset colorectal cancer survivors and will continue to mobilize young colorectal cancer survivors.

2 thoughts on “Fight Colorectal Cancer and The Colon Club Merge”

    1. Hi Leah, we have so much helpful information on our site. What can we help you with? If you need information about stage and diagnosis, we have that. If you need information about treatment options, we have that. If you are looking for a second opinion, be sure to check out our Provider Finder. If you are seeking clinical trials, we have a Clinical Trial Finder. We recently released a suite of education brochures about screening, colorectal cancer surgery, biomarkers, and clinical trials. If there is something we haven’t touched on, please ask: I’m sure we can provide it to you.

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