“My aunt was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer in 2013 at 38 years old. Aunt Jess always had such a positive outlook for the possibilities and opportunities it could present to her and decided to let colon cancer become a part of her journey in life. She lived for 6 years after her diagnosis, and became one of my biggest role models with the legacy she made in her advocacy.”

17-year-old Ethan Houck shared with his Eagle Scout troop how much his aunt and her cancer journey affected him and inspired him to lead his peers to become involved with Fight CRC. On March 6, he and 12 other Eagle Scouts visited the Fight CRC home office in Springfield, MO, to help pack registration packets for Call-on Congress.

“I was first motivated to volunteer with Fight CRC when I was looking for ideas for my Middle Years Programme project for International Baccalaureate at my school. I had read through a lot of the advocacy and research my aunt, Jessica Martin, PhD, had done with Fight CRC through the Research Advocacy Training and Support program and saw what impacts it really made and decided to work with them on that project,” Ethan explained.

Ethan expressed his joy in helping with Call-on-Congress because it connected him with how his Aunt Jess was involved with Fight CRC and he knew it was an important project with a big impact on others. This event gave Ethan an opportunity to see hands-on what Fight CRC does and the significance of just one project. He’s thankful for all the help his fellow Eagle Scouts gave him throughout the process and wants to continue to give the troop more opportunities to help deliver Fight CRC’s mission.

“If there's something I would like others to know, it's that it is super easy to make a big difference. Working with the [Fight CRC] representatives here in town was really great, they're very passionate about what they believe in, and they are so open to helping and taking in whatever help they can get that it makes it a great environment to be around. If you ever want to take part in any sort of project with Fight CRC, do it!  It makes a huge difference for them and helps push us on the path to better opportunities for colorectal cancer patients.”

Thank you, Ethan and the Springfield Eagle Scouts!