Colon Cancer Foundation Champions

Meet Jamie Crespo, 31 from Seattle, Washington, who currently works at an outpatient surgery unit for Kaiser Permanente.

What was your experience with colorectal cancer?

My dad started experiencing symptoms in the beginning of 2017. He lost a lot of weight, was pale, and fainted a couple of times. He wasn’t doing anything new with his diet and exercise, so I told him he needed to see his physician. 

After having a few scans and tests, the doctors found out he was anemic, and had colon cancer. He got a colectomy in August and stayed in the hospital for a few days. When we met with the medical and oncology team, his cancer was in stage 3. 

Later that fall, once he completed 9 out of the 11 chemotherapy treatments, my mom got her colonoscopy, because she wanted to wait until he was okay. She ended up having stage 1 colon cancer and just needed a minimally invasive laparoscopic colectomy, and stayed a few days at the hospital. 

Since then, both have been in remission and get routine colonoscopies. For reference, they were diagnosed in their 60’s, and colon cancer did not run in the family until now. My family is from the Philippines and preventative care there isn’t talked about much.

How did you hear about the Colon Cancer Foundation? How long have you been involved, and why do you enjoy supporting their efforts?

Running the NYC Marathon was my dream race, and as I was looking for charities to fundraise for, I heard about the Colon Cancer Foundation (CCF). 

I contacted CCF and was fortunate to get a spot on their fundraising team in the winter of 2019, which was so meaningful to me given my parents’ history with colon cancer. The following year, I became more involved with CCF by fundraising $3.2K, surpassing the initial goal of $3K. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was postponed to November 7, 2021. The NYC Marathon was my third marathon but first world major marathon and charity race. 

It turned out to be what I thought it would be and even better! Running the five boroughs from Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and ending in Manhattan at Central Park was exhilarating. The crowd was electric throughout the entire 26.2 miles, and I even spotted some of my friends along the way. 

When I got to Central Park, I definitely teared up as I thought about what this race meant for my parents, and all my family and friends that supported me throughout this journey. I loved CCF’s mission in encouraging colon cancer awareness and prevention.

Why is it so important to get screened for colorectal cancer?

So it won’t be too late, and can save the lives of your family and friends. 

How do you suggest opening the conversation with friends & family?

For me, when I have conversations with family and friends, I always share my personal experience with my parents and my work with colonoscopy patients. I also love talking about it through social media and getting the word out about colon cancer awareness and preventative care. 

If you felt inspired by Jamie’s story, follow her here on Instagram: @jamielynette

Meet Justin Adler, 29 years old, will be turning 30 on March 30th. He lives in the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City with his fiancé, Michele (getting married in July of 2022 & dog, Kona).

He has worked for a SaaS Company called Catchpoint as a Manager on the Finance Team since August of 2021 and before that, spent 6 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Consulting & Audit.

What was your experience with colorectal cancer?

My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer when she was 43 years old, I was 4 at the time. Although I was young, I remember just how awful this disease can be as I vividly remember watching my mom deteriorate and going to the hospital to visit her countless times after surgeries, chemo sessions, and other setbacks that caused her to be in and out of the hospital for the next 4 years before she eventually passed away at the age of 47.

Now that I am about to turn 30 and need to start getting regular colonoscopies due to my family history, the presence of colon cancer has entered my life again.

How did you hear about the Colon Cancer Foundation? How long have you been involved, and why do you enjoy supporting their efforts? Feel free to share any memorable events (past or present) you want to mention.

I am brand new to the Colon Cancer Foundation family, having just become a CCF Champion serving the CCF Board in January of 2022.

I wanted to become a part of a team and organization that was making a positive difference in an area that had negatively impacted both my family and I directly. My first event with CCF will be the 2022 Colon Cancer Challenge taking place on March 27th in Queens, NY.

This is where I was born and spent my first few years of life so it means a lot to me. My team is Adler’sArmy, if you’d like to donate here.

Why is it so important to get screened for colorectal cancer? How do you suggest opening the conversation with friends & family?

At this point in life, I am no stranger to difficult conversations when it comes to health or screenings. I lost my mom to colon cancer when I was 8, my last direct grandparent to a stroke when I was 14, my dad to a heart attack when I was 27, and my stepmom is a breast cancer survivor.

I have seen some ugly diseases ravage my direct family and now as I am about to enter my thirties, I understand the importance of being on top of your health and staying in front of dangerous diseases like colon cancer. I understand the stigma and fear behind tests like colonoscopies (because trust me, I had some fear heading into my first one.)

But I would much rather go through the temporary discomfort of the test and test prep itself versus the potential life ending disease that can go undetected until it is too late.

Meet Suzanne Miller, from Peoria, Illinois.

What was your experience with colorectal cancer?

I am a 5 year colon cancer survivor. Stage one. Removed and did not spread–I was incredibly lucky.

How did you hear about the Colon Cancer Foundation? How long have you been involved, and why do you enjoy supporting their efforts? 

After my diagnosis, I raised money for the TPC NYC Marathon as a colon cancer survivor. I kept in touch with them and then became an advocate!

Why is it so important to get screened for colorectal cancer? How do you suggest opening the conversation with friends & family?

Cancer does not discriminate. It can happen to anyone. It’s important to know your body and the symptoms, because early detection saves lives. 

Ever since it happened to me, I make sure, at least once a month (the 18th day of every month), I post on my social media to remind everyone to get checked. Making it light and giving the facts.

Meet Jason Cotray, he’s 43 years old and lives in Manhattan.

What was your experience with colorectal cancer?

I was diagnosed the first time when I was 35. I discovered symptoms of blood in my stool and a doctor suggested a colonoscopy. I then had a recurrence about 4 years later in the colon and tumors in the abdomen. I’ve gone through many rounds of chemo treatment. Currently, I have suspicious nodules in my lung, and will most likely be going through treatment again.

How did you hear about the Colon Cancer Foundation?

The community specialist at my job organized a volunteer walk event for me with Colon Cancer Foundation, and we are looking to do it again this year.

Why is it so important to get screened for colorectal cancer?

It’s incredibly vital to get screened since early detection reduces the risk dramatically of the severity of the disease. I find that just being brave to talk about health and sensitive areas breaks through the uncomfortable feelings that some of my friends felt.

How do you suggest opening the conversation with friends & family?

Since being diagnosed, my friends have actually come to me to ask questions as well. I try to approach the conversation with humor and end it with how serious it is to get screened. I also describe the details of what a colonoscopy is, and let them know it’s not as scary as people think.

Meet Kelli Culver. She’s 40 years old and lives in Chesapeake, Virginia.

What was your experience with colorectal cancer?

My husband passed away after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at age 38.We thought he had the stomach flu, but left the hospital with a colon cancer diagnosis. He underwent a year of chemo and trial medications, but he passed away 13 months after he was diagnosed.

How did you hear about the Colon Cancer Foundation? How long have you been involved, and why do you enjoy supporting their efforts?

During my research on treatments and statistics, I found the Colon Cancer Foundation. Since then, I have been working with the education and fundraising teams. My focus has primarily been on the early onset population and raising awareness for the rising number of diagnoses.

Why is it so important to get screened for colorectal cancer?

Early identification is key to survival. Knowing the symptoms and being overly cautious is a far better approach than being dismissive of symptoms only to be later diagnosed in a later cancer stage.

How do you suggest opening the conversation with friends & family?

Referencing a celebrity’s battle with colon cancer, talking about March being Colon Cancer Awareness month, or expressing concern if you know a family member has been having symptoms are all easy conversation starters.