The Fight Colorectal Cancer community is saddened to hear about the loss of U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin. Rep. McEachin was a champion for increasing access to screening, and he was a strong advocate for increasing federal funding for colorectal cancer research. 

Rep. McEachin was known as an advocate for social and environmental justice amongst his House colleagues, and he was a strong advocate for colorectal cancer. In the years following his diagnosis in 2013, our advocacy team worked closely with his office, and he helped lead our efforts to urge Congress to increase funding for the CDC Colorectal Cancer Control Program  and to create a Colorectal Cancer Research Program within the Department of Defense. He was also a strong supporter of the Removing Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening Act which was signed into law in 2020. 

“Rep. McEachin was an incredible champion for the colorectal cancer community in Congress and beyond,” said Molly McDonnell, Fight CRC Director of Advocacy. “Not only did he bravely share his story to encourage others to get screened, but he also rallied his colleagues to increase federal funding for colorectal cancer screening and research. Fight CRC will continue to fight for more in his honor.” 

In a statement on social media, Tara Rountree, the chief of staff for Rep. McEachin, said, “Valiantly, for years now, we have watched him fight and triumph over the secondary effects of his colorectal cancer from 2013. Tonight, he lost that battle.”

While the statement says he lost the battle, we in the cancer community know nobody truly loses the battle with cancer, but that the cancer fight takes a new form when someone passes away.

Although Rep. McEachin is no longer with us, we will continue his fight in Congress by advocating for screening programs and policies that fund colorectal cancer research. We send our love and strength to his family, friends, community and staff. Fight CRC also challenges Congress to come together to honor his life by funding actions that would prevent similar deaths.

We will continue to advance our mission in his honor and so many others we have lost.