Behind every colorectal cancer diagnosis is a human, confronting the unthinkable. We work to ensure that no one has to fight this disease alone. We’re building and growing a patient community that’s well-informed, fearless, and devoted to improving outcomes for all. We are constantly inspired by our community’s resilience, strength, and heart. 

We won’t cure colorectal cancer overnight. But we can make an impact every day. 

And that’s a reason for hope.

How we raised awareness in FY 2021:

• We hosted a Teen Colorectal Cancer Roundtable to connect and support young people who’ve dealt with a colorectal cancer diagnosis themselves or within their families. The roundtable was moderated by Danielle Ripley-Burgess, Fight CRC Chief Storyteller, Beyond Blue Editor, and a teen survivor. Danielle was diagnosed when she was just 17 years old and is now a two-time, 22-year survivor. 

• The Cleveland Cavaliers hosted a Colorectal Cancer Awareness Night, highlighting the need to get screened. In addition to announcements promoting the importance of prevention, Fight CRC partnered with the Cleveland Clinic to distribute patient education materials throughout the game.

• Fight CRC was named a community partner for Stand Up to Cancer's Health Equity Dream Team. Fight CRC serves as an advisor on how to implement the program, as well as provide awareness and patient education surrounding its efforts.

• Fight CRC’s partnership with DUDE Wipes was featured on Shark Tank. Through the partnership, DUDE Wipes has donated thousands of dollars in DUDE products for colorectal cancer survivors, caregivers, and loved ones. DUDE has also featured colorectal cancer resources and patient stories on their blog to educate their audience on the importance of colorectal cancer screening and understanding the signs and symptoms. 

• Dr. Fola May, Fight CRC Medical Advisory Board member and Health Equity Committee member, was featured in USA Today’s “Digestive Health and Wellness Campaign.” Her article “7 Tips to Improve Your Digestive Health” highlights easy ways to care for your digestive system. The campaign was created to educate consumers on both preventive measures and treatment options for various areas of the digestive system and overall gut health, as well as  empower readers to take proper steps for achieving optimal gut health.

Champion Highlights

Class of 2021–2022 Ambassadors

We welcomed a class of 12 Ambassadors, who spent a weekend together at our home office of Springfield, Missouri, where they filmed their stories, participated in focus groups with our patient education and research teams, and learned more about Fight CRC programs, events, and initiatives that can be supported by their local communities. Throughout the year, some of our Ambassadors hosted awareness and fundraising events, raising nearly $10,000, and others were featured by their local news media.

Across everything we do, our strategy is to thoughtfully do more with less. 

We are convening leaders, intentional about making every action count. By bringing the best and brightest people together in pursuit of innovation, we are uniquely positioned to identify high-impact, breakthrough research efforts. In our search for a cure, we remain steadfast, because every day we are moved by the collective heartbeat of people who bring hope and healing to all those affected by colorectal cancer.

Whether we were raising awareness, convening leaders, or fighting for policy change, we left our unique mark on each event hosted in FY 2021.

A Night with the Stars

Raising nearly $20,000, A Night With the Stars brought together the Springfield, Missouri, community, Fight CRC’s home base. Colorectal cancer survivors, caregivers, and loved ones, and medical professionals were celebrated throughout the night and commended for sharing their stories as relentless champions.

Climb for a Cure

Through Climb 2021, our community made a huge impact in the fight against colorectal cancer by raising nearly $200,000! More than 350 people participated and the funds raised go directly to groundbreaking research.

Path to a Cure Think Tank

As a catalyst for change, Fight CRC invested two major gifts from former board members Steve Depp and Dina M. Golas. Their legacy gifts enabled Fight CRC to host the inaugural Path to a Cure Think Tank in Springfield, Missouri, on December 3, 2021, convening a curated group of 35 thought leaders and innovators to identify priorities and cutting-edge research ideas focused on advancing treatment and an eventual cure for stage III and stage IV MSS colorectal cancer patients. 

The Think Tank was designed to create a social and intellectual setting where it was safe to disagree and become aware of individual biases and blind spots, while having the opportunity to expand knowledge outside of disciplinary and institutional walls. Participants represented a diverse cross-section of expertise and experience, both within the colorectal cancer field and beyond it. 

As a community, there is tremendous potential when we coordinate our efforts toward common goals. This project brings together many of the thought leaders in the colorectal cancer community who are passionate about accelerating research and improving outcomes for colorectal cancer patients. Together, we can tackle big ideas with ambitious and meaningful impact!

Dr. Scott Kopetz, research and medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center

The Path to a Cure Report provided the foundation of the Think Tank discussion. Because the report is extensive, the Think Tank focused only on the Treatment section.

The Path to a Cure Report is a professional, multidisciplinary publication, which seeks to summarize and communicate a plan for our community to rally around: pushing forward critical areas of research; care for patients; and policy, from prevention to survivorship. 

Call-on Congress and United in Blue

The Fight CRC community descended upon Washington, D.C., armed with blue flags and a mission: to bring attention to the growing number of young people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer and compel our elected officials to do more to prioritize colorectal cancer through more funding, more research, and more treatment options. 

On March 13, volunteers placed 27,400 blue flags in the ground on the National Mall. The flags represented the number of people ages 20-49 who are projected to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2030. Snow and cold weather did not deter our valiant champions. Volunteers also set up 100 toilet seats donated from Bemis Toilet Seats that were customized with facts about the burden of colorectal cancer in each of the 50 states. 

On Wednesday morning, March 16, 2022, we held a rally at United in Blue to bring together our advocacy and industry partners, as well as members of Congress and other government officials to lock arms in the fight for more. 

As Anjee Davis, MPAA, President, Fight Colorectal Cancer described, “We're here together to fight. We're here together to push for policy change. And we are urgently asking our members of Congress to fund cancer research and implementation science on behalf of these survivors, on behalf of these individuals we want to save.”

Call-on Congress concluded on Thursday, March 17, 2022, with a virtual Lobby Day, where advocates across the country had the opportunity to meet with their members of Congress. More than 150 advocates took part in over 230 meetings where they shared their stories and urged their members of Congress to direct the NCI to create a strategic action plan for colorectal cancer and to create a Colorectal Cancer Research Program within the Department of Defense. 

Catalyst State-by-State Advocacy Program Leaders Meeting

Fight CRC brought together changemakers from the Catalyst State-By-State Advocacy Program in Springfield, Missouri, on December 2, 2021. Members of this program gathered to share best practices for passing legislation, learn from each other’s successes, and collaborate on future colorectal cancer screening policy priorities.

“When we launched this program, we thought it would mean we were in person a lot; we thought we were going to be in every state, doing action planning, going to state capitals, and more,” said Molly McDonnell, Fight CRC’s Director of Advocacy. “COVID-19 had other plans for us, but we never could have imagined that we’d be able to accomplish so much in such a short amount of time, and particularly during such a difficult two years.”

At our core, we are Relentless Champions of Hope, fighting for a cure for colorectal cancer, while supporting and empowering a community of patients, caregivers, and families. Fight CRC focuses on providing balanced cancer care information while pursuing the most promising research endeavors and influencing policy change for the greater good. For anyone affected by colorectal cancer, we offer a safe place of support, information, and encouragement.

Clinical Trial and Provider Finders

As a part of Fight CRC's mission to fight for informed patient support and breakthrough research endeavors, we launched two new web-based tools in 2022: an updated Clinical Trial Finder and a Provider Finder.

The Trial Finder is a one-stop place to search for and learn about high-impact research studies for colorectal cancer patients and is currently showing trials for MSS (microsatellite-stable) and stage IV colorectal cancer patients, sourced from clinicaltrials.gov.

One click away from the Clinical Trial Finder is the Fight CRC Provider Finder, a digital tool that helps patients find oncologists, radiologists, surgeons, and gastroenterologists. Our Provider Finder has more than 4,500 vetted colorectal cancer physicians in its database!

Since launching in spring 2022, the Trial Finder has had nearly 600 clicks (meaning someone clicked on a trial result for more information) and the Provider Finder has had 250 clicks (meaning someone searched for a provider and clicked on a result for more information). 

October 2021 and March 2022 Beyond Blue magazine

Beyond Blue magazine is a resource curated for survivors, by survivors. Our editor-in-chief, Danielle Ripley-Burgess, is a two-time colorectal cancer survivor.

Each page is dedicated to providing you with new resources that reflect topics and issues that matter most to survivors and caregivers, with a focus on empowering you and supporting your well-being.

Champion Stories Portal

In summer 2021, we launched our Champion Stories Portal, a place where members of our colorectal cancer community can read others’ stories and share their own. Stories can be filtered by connection to colorectal cancer, race, age, and more. Champion Stories are among our most liked and commented posts on social media. We enjoy reading the stories of our champions and others who provide support for each other and find comfort in knowing they aren’t alone in the fight.

We regularly share these stories on our Facebook and Instagram accounts, and they are generally our highest performing posts (and we can see why!).

Gut-Friendly Cooking Demo

Sarah Copeland, bestselling cookbook author and former Food Director at Real Simple, whose recipes have been featured on outlets like Food Network and The New York Times, joined us to host a live cooking demonstration. Sarah is known for helping families find easy, fresh, delicious recipes to make for every occasion, and for helping patients adapt their diets so they can embrace and enjoy food. In addition to the live views, the video has been watched nearly 150 times!

BowelPrepGuide.com and Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation Blue Knots Program Transferred Ownership to Fight CRC

We are so honored that partners trust us with their content and programs. Due to various circumstances, both BowelPrepGuide.com and the Kiel Colon Cancer Foundation decided to transfer ownership of their materials and chose Fight CRC to honor their legacies and continue distributing their materials. 

“I founded BowelPrepGuide.com in 2014 when I realized there was no online resource dedicated to bowel preparation and colonoscopy. I cannot think of a better organization to hand over BowelPrepGuide.com to. Fight Colorectal Cancer is the leading patient advocacy group in colorectal cancer. No organization is more committed to the fight against colorectal cancer than Fight Colorectal Cancer. That is why I have entrusted BowelPrepGuide.com, the world's first online resource dedicated to bowel preparation and colonoscopy, to them.”

–Wale Ajumobi, MD, MBA, FACP, FACG

“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.” 

–Fight CRC President Anjee Davis, MPPA

Clinical Trials Conversations Blog Series

Clinical trials are critical to finding a cure for colorectal cancer. As an advocacy organization dedicated to supporting and empowering a community of patients, caregivers, and families, Fight CRC partnered with COLONTOWN to deliver a monthly blog series highlighting everything patients need to know about research studies, clinical trials, and the best treatment options available. 

In this series, we cover promising trials that are enrolling, lessons learned from past research, logistics and resources for joining a clinical trial, and provide relevant and timely updates for our colon and rectal cancer community.

Resource Meetups

In 2021, we launched Your Guide in the Fight Resource Meetups, free online gatherings for people affected by colorectal cancer who are seeking access to resources and peer-to-peer support.

Whether just diagnosed, in treatment, or supporting someone who is facing colorectal cancer, these twice-per-month meetups are a safe and reliable place to talk to people who have similar experiences, while learning about resources available from Fight CRC and partners alike. 

Other Resources Offered in FY 2021:

• Tabooty podcast episodes with survivors, caregivers, and medical experts were recorded and released. Episodes released in FY 2021 have had about 1,000 listens!
• Webinars with experts exploring hot topics were held and have been viewed over 1,900 times.
• IG Live videos featuring colorectal cancer survivors, caregivers, and loved ones, as well as medical experts and partners, reached nearly 15,000 accounts and have been viewed over 6,500 times.
• Over 18,000 colorectal cancer care packs and resources for patients, caregivers, and loved ones, and medical professionals were distributed across the country.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death. By 2030, it’s projected to become the first. Yet it’s the cancer no one wants to talk about. It is deadly. It is traumatic. And it’s met its match. Fight CRC provides patients, caregivers, and families with a place to find support, learn, and take effective action to improve cancer care, research, and policy. We relentlessly champion our patients, their families, and loved ones with every tool at our disposal and every ounce of our compassion. We’ve learned from hard, personal experience — effective advocacy doesn’t whisper. It fights. Together, we fight to win.

White House Issued Guidance on Follow-Up Colonoscopies

On January 10, 2022, the Biden Administration issued guidance requiring private insurers to cover colonoscopy when needed as a follow-up to a noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test. This will prevent patients from receiving surprise bills for a colonoscopy when they receive a positive result from a stool-based test.

Noninvasive screening tests, such as FIT or Cologuard® are great options for average-risk patients to complete colorectal cancer screening. But for those who receive a positive result, screening is not complete until they undergo a colonoscopy. Ensuring that cost is not a barrier will help increase access to colorectal cancer screening and ultimately save lives!

Representatives of AGA, American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and Fight CRC worked together to urge the Administration to make this change, including a fall 2021 meeting with regulators from the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury, (which together regulate private insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act) to request they provide direction to private health plans.

On November 1, 2022 (Fight CRC's current fiscal year), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized a proposed rule to ensure Medicare beneficiaries won’t face out-of-pocket costs if they need a colonoscopy after getting a positive result on a noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test.

Advocates Took Action

From engaging legislators to participating in events in local communities, Fight CRC keeps our community of Relentless Champions of Hope updated on opportunities to get involved on the federal, state, and local levels. Through our easy-to-use Advocacy Portal, advocates are able to quickly email legislators, sign petitions, and post social media messages tagging elected officials.

In FY 2021, more than 10,000 advocates took action! Fight CRC shared 32 calls to action, resulting in over 6,000 petition signatures and more than 63,000 emails sent to Congress.

41 States Recognized March 2022 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Each year, advocates in the United States ask state policymakers to formally recognize March as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. In 2022, advocates from 43 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico submitted requests; 41 states responded to the request by officially declaring March 2022 as Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. We also received a federal proclamation from the White House!

Take-Home Screening Test Approved in Kentucky

A pharmacy protocol that seeks to make screening for colorectal cancer even simpler for some patients was approved by the Kentucky Board of Pharmacy. The protocol specifies the criteria and procedures for pharmacists to provide education and information specific to colorectal cancer, and when appropriate, initiate noninvasive, stool-based colorectal cancer screening using fecal immunochemical test (FIT) or stool DNA test (e.g., DNA-FIT, like Cologuard®). This means some people can take care of their colorectal cancer screening at their local CVS, Walgreens, or independent pharmacy — the same place they go for a flu shot, COVID-19 vaccine, or regular prescriptions.

The protocol was approved following advocacy efforts to remove barriers to screening in Kentucky by the Colon Cancer Prevention Project and Fight CRC. We brought together a wide array of stakeholders to develop the protocol, and the efforts were funded in part through our Catalyst State-by-State Advocacy Program that works to increase access to screening through state-level policy change.

California Removes Barriers to Screening

Eligible Californians now have increased access to colorectal cancer screening, per AB 342, a new state law that removes out-of-pocket costs for patients needing colonoscopies after positive non-invasive screening tests, such as stool DNA or fecal immunochemical test (FIT).

The California Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C4) and Fight CRC worked closely with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) and Assembly Member Gipson, the author of AB 342, as well as Senators Lena Gonzalez, Susan Rubio, and Scott Wiener to assure passage in the Assembly and Senate before the bill was signed into law by Gov. Newsom on October 1, 2021.

“This law addresses healthcare disparities and is the first step in getting all patients the screening they need at no cost,” said Spencer Dayton of Lodi, Calif., who was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer at age 23 and serves as a Fight CRC Ambassador. “This will help remove a financial barrier for patients who need a colonoscopy after positive noninvasive screening. I am thankful to Assembly Member Mike Gipson and his team for addressing this issue and for Gov. Gavin Newsom for signing the bill. Next, we make screening free for all across the country — not just here in California."

Growth to the Catalyst Program

The Catalyst Program provides funding and technical assistance to people working to advance state policy to increase access to colorectal cancer screening. In addition to the existing eight states in the program (Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Louisiana, Nebraska, Texas, and Rhode Island), we added four more states in FY 2021: New York, Indiana, New Jersey, and Virginia.

Click on the blocks below to learn more about what's happening in our Catalyst states!

Fight CRC President Anjee Davis participated at the Cancer Moonshot Forum

Anjee represented Fight CRC at the White House's Cancer Moonshot Goals Forum in Washington, D.C., on May 11, 2022. The meeting focused on catalyzing action and developing solutions that will bring the U.S. closer to “ending cancer as we know it.” Anjee discussed plans related to reducing cost barriers to colorectal cancer screening, as well as increasing equitable access to screening as outlined in our Path to a Cure Report.

“In February 2022, President Biden announced a call to action on cancer screening after millions of appointments were missed due to COVID-19 – screenings for colorectal cancer fell by as much as 90% during the pandemic,” said Davis. “Being a part of this effort to provide equitable access to cancer prevention, detection, and diagnosis is such a meaningful opportunity. Fight CRC believes wholeheartedly in the President’s Cancer Moonshot efforts.”

Content Writer Theresa Maschke Testified at a New Jersey Senate and Assembly Hearing

In June, Theresa joined her husband, Joe, a stage III rectal cancer survivor,  testify at a New Jersey Senate Hearing in support of S2305, legislation that requires health insurers to cover colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 45 (as recommended by United States Preventive Services Task Force) and removes out-of-pocket costs for people needing a colonoscopy after a positive noninvasive screening test. In October, the Maschkes  courageously shared their story and pleaded for support of A3523 before an Assembly Committee. On December 15, 2022, the New Jersey Assembly voted unanimously to pass the bill. On December 19, 2022, the bill moved to Senate vote where it also was unanimously approved. Next stop is Governor Phil Murphy’s desk!

“We respectfully request you pass this bill: If Joe had been screened at age 45, we could have had a completely different outcome. Again, while we are thankful that Joe is here today, every day is a struggle. Every day cancer is on his mind, my mind, and the minds of our kids. This battle never ends: even as he is cancer free today.”

-Theresa Maschke, Content Writer and Caregiver

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services added Colorectal Cancer Screening to the CMS Medicaid Adult Core Set of Quality Measures for Adoption in 2022

Through our Catalyst State-by-State Advocacy Program, Fight CRC was able to support the California Colorectal Cancer Coalition (C4) in their efforts to add colorectal cancer as a quality measure for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Adult Core Set.

CMS is required by the Affordable Care Act to designate a core set of quality measures to help evaluate the quality of care received by individuals insured by Medicaid.

All states are required to have quality measures that are reported annually by the Medicaid insurance carriers in each state. The states are not required to use the Medicaid Adult Core Set Quality Measures, but many use a portion or all of them. In 2019, California adopted the CMS Medicaid Adult Core Set Quality Measures for reporting in California, but at the time, breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings were the only cancer screening measures included.

Having colorectal cancer screening as a quality measure that has to be tracked and reported is one way to help increase screening rates. As the saying goes, “What gets measured gets improved” (NCQA). Only a handful of states measure Medicaid colorectal cancer screening rates, but those who do found that measuring colorectal cancer screening rates has helped to increase screening rates.

The voting members unanimously approved the recommendation adopting colorectal cancer screening for the 2022 CMS Medicaid Adult Core Set Quality Measures and in December 2021, CMS officially accepted their recommendation!

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death. Wasted energy and money are luxuries our patients don’t have. Our patient community is fighting for their lives. That’s why we put so much emphasis on impact. We’re building a community of catalysts — people with the power to drive promising research, fight stigma, and bring the issues we face into focus. Colorectal cancer can’t be wished away. But it can be fought — with science, wisdom, and support.

The Path to a Cure Think Tank and Report

While the rest of the world had been fighting a pandemic, Fight CRC developed a plan that ensures patients’ real needs stay at the core of research efforts. Path to a Cure Report revolves around pushing forward critical areas of research; care for patients; and policy, from prevention to survivorship. 

Through the generous legacy gift of former Board Members Steve Depp and Dina M. Golas, Fight CRC authored the Path to a Cure Report and hosted the first-ever Path to a Cure Think Tank in Springfield, Missouri. The best and brightest minds in the field of colorectal cancer research, together with patient advocates who have first-hand knowledge, experience and are also colorectal cancer experts, gathered in one room to discuss and debate key messages, challenges and opportunities, and objectives as outlined within the Path to a Cure Report, Section 3, Treatment. 

Together, working hand in hand across industry, academia, advocacy, public health, government agencies, and with patients, the Path to a Cure Report will drive and unify stakeholders to ask important questions, prioritize, and expand scientific efforts.

"Individuals with stage IV cancer face the worst kind of deadline: The deadline that their advanced disease is going to someday take their life if we don’t make greater advances.”

— Dr. Richard Goldberg, Medical Advisory Board Member and GI Oncologist

Early-Age Onset Colorectal Cancer Research Panel

Fight CRC moved the needle forward at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) by hosting an early-age onset research panel to keep the pressure on our community to continue asking, "why?". This led to progress in our common data elements work. Using common data elements across studies will help us quickly and more efficiently identify risk factors of EAO CRC.

Dr. Fola May, Fight CRC Health Equity Committee Member and Medical Advisory Board Member, had the opportunity to share her expert perspective on disparities in colorectal cancer screening and research for all populations. Many Fight CRC medical advisors and leaders presented oral abstracts and posters during the meeting as well. 

After DDW, Fight CRC hosted a panel to continue the discussion on early-age onset disease and research, and ask the timely question: “If we are going to make progress in early-age onset colorectal research, what must we do differently, and how do we build on our current efforts?”

Research Advocate Contributed to Cancer Publication

Research Advocate Wenora Johnson and Andrea (Andi) Dwyer of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and advisor to Fight CRC were published in Cancer for findings in the National Navigation Roundtable survey results regarding health equity and patient navigation in oncology.

Other Research Publications by Fight CRC Staff

• JNCCN: Priorities of Unmet Needs for Those Affected by Colorectal Cancer: Considerations From a Series of Nominal Group Technique Sessions
• Journal of Clinical Oncology: Landscape of COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the colorectal cancer community: Responding to community needs
• Journal of Clinical Oncology: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on the colorectal cancer community: Barriers and opportunities for care

Research Advocates Assisted in Pathology Guideline Updates

Fight CRC Research Advocates worked in partnership with the College of American Pathologists to update their guidelines. The updated guidelines will help pathologists optimize testing methods to better identify and evaluate patients with cancer who may be eligible for immunotherapies known as checkpoint inhibitors, and will impact the clinical care of all colorectal cancer patients, giving thousands of patients access to biomarker testing. Though the guidelines were updated in August 2022 (this fiscal year), it took the hard work of our Research Advocates in FY 2021 to support this project!

Statement of Activities

Balance Sheet

Current Assets

Fixed Assets

Other Assets

Liabilities

Current Liabilities

Equity

990 Fiscal Year Filings

Our Annual Impact Report displays the powerful work of our advocates and the organization. We show the stories, faces, and numbers. We've seen remarkable growth over the years.

Not only have we received awards and opportunities to present our work, but we’ve also received high rankings for our transparent, streamlined, and outstanding financial processes from several groups who watch for proper oversight of donations.
 

Four Stars by Charity Navigator

Charity Navigator gives Fight CRC a four-star rating with a total overall score of 98%. Read more about our rating.

BBB Accredited Charity

Fight CRC is a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity. Read our charity report.

Platinum Rating by GuideStar

Additionally, we reached a Platinum rating with GuideStar, which indicates our full transparency practices. See our rating!

Read more about Fight CRC’s Financials.