Merrill Ann Culverhouse

Story: "'Dad has colon cancer.' Those four words rocked my world in the spring of 2013.

"Everything that once seemed so important to me now seemed so trivial. After all, this was my dad - my best friend. Had he noticed the symptoms earlier, we may have avoided such a scare. Thankfully my dad is still a significant part of my life. My view of life changed in a few minutes since so much can happen in such a short amount of time. With that in mind, I decided to give my time, to educate my community, state, and nation on the importance of being accountable for their health.

"My dad is a pharmacist and takes care of so many people. Promoting colon cancer quickly became our mission. I even dressed as Smurfette to "Smurf Out" colon cancer on Halloween. While passing out candy to children, I gave the parents a pamphlet discussing the scary reality of colon cancer. My dad was 43 years old when diagnosed. The tumor had almost completely obstructed the colon. However, he was very fortunate that there was no lymph node involvement. I will be attending my first Call-on-Congress, with my dad, Merrill, and we can't wait for this learning experience!"

Advice: "Don't read on the internet! Statistics will scare you to death! Everyone is different! Keep a positive attitude and continue to live your life!"