Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation, a friend and nonprofit partner of Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC), is closing its doors after seven years of service to the colorectal cancer (CRC) community. The foundation has asked Fight CRC to carry on its work by running out the #BlueKnots social media campaign and educating and resourcing the Black community about colorectal cancer.

“Fight CRC is honored to continue the Kiels’ mission by working alongside their community of supporters to decrease the number of preventable deaths caused by colon cancer through education and awareness initiatives, encouraging healthy lifestyle choices, and supporting colon cancer research,” said Fight CRC President Anjee Davis. 

Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation President LaTashia Kiel and her husband, CEO George Kiel, founded the organization in honor of George’s mother, Debra Kiel, who passed away from colon cancer in 2014 at age 57. When Debra was first diagnosed, the family noticed that, at the time, none of the CRC organizations reached their community. The family founded the Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation and hosted fun and physically active events to teach about CRC, placing a special emphasis on colorectal cancer rates in the African American community.  

According to the American Cancer Society, Black Americans are about 20% more likely to get CRC, and about 40% more likely to die from it compared to other racial groups.

“This organization has allowed me to honor my mother-in-law’s legacy,” said LaTashia. “The community has inspired me over the years. I have learned so much about the cancer experience in our nation by listening to the stories of patients, families, and their friends.”

LaTashia, a Fight CRC advocate who has shared her story at Call-on Congress, is stepping down from the Foundation to pursue her family nurse practitioner certification and open a clinic that specifically addresses the primary care needs of cancer patients. She’s also working on a research project addressing scanxiety, a huge issue cancer patients face throughout and beyond their treatment. She hopes to shed light on this issue within the medical community and find meaningful, science-based treatment methods. To focus on her new goals, she and George have decided to close the Foundation, but they’ve asked Fight CRC to carry on their initiatives.

Fight CRC will start managing #BlueKnots, a social media initiative that honors those affected by colon cancer and brings worldwide attention to the disease. Participants can engage in the campaign by getting blue shoelaces and tying them into “blue knots,” and posting a photo of them on social media with the hashtag #BlueKnots. Blue shoelaces are available in the Fight CRC store. Fight CRC will also be posting educational content from the Kiels’ website to fightcrc.org to carry on the mission of education. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the support and partnership we have had with Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation, and we are honored that they chose Fight CRC to carry on their work,” said Davis. “We are looking forward to continuing to work alongside members of their community to raise awareness and provide education and resources.”