MAN UP TO CANCER

For the guys out there who have been diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer… Just when you thought your summer couldn't get any manlier, two awesome nonprofits — Fight Colorectal Cancer and MAN UP TO CANCER — invite you to participate in an unfiltered, guys-only conversation about what we go through as patients and survivors. And it has a name worthy of a summer blockbuster: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐞𝐠𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩! Join us online on Thursday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. eastern time, as we talk about our experiences and some of the common challenges we face as men impacted by CRC. We will also break into groups focused on emotions and feelings, mental health and wellness, relationships, and advocating/empowering yourself during the journey. Sometimes, cancer can make us feel powerless. Events like this give us the motivation, guidance, and community we need to take that power back. Click on the link in the comments to let us know you're going. I hope to see you there!

Man Up to Cancer is thrilled to announce the addition of Hope Alcocer to our leadership team! Hope joins us on a part-time basis as director of digital content. In this role, she oversees Man Up to Cancer's social media channels, website content, and email communication, including a quarterly newsletter for our members and our public audience. Hope is the founder and owner of Wonder Woman Media LLC, and she brings more than 14 years experience in digital media, marketing, and more. She is an author, speaker, and is passionate about mental health awareness, and helping victims of domestic violence and other trauma. Originally from the midwest, Hope lives in the New York City metro area with her husband, stepchildren, and what she describes as a "small menagerie of animals." We are fortunate to have a content director who is creative, curious, and dedicated to helping others. On behalf of the entire MUTC team, please join me in welcoming Hope!

There are some lessons that can only be learned in the dark. I invite you to listen to part 2 of my appearance on The Precision Medicine Podcast by Trapelo. Host Karan Cushman, a fellow Mainer by the way, leads me through a telling of my fall into anxiety and despair after my cancer diagnosis in 2018, the love of family and helpers that saved my life, and the community that emerged from that time of suffering. Link in the comments, or just search for The Precision Medicine Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite streaming service. #precisionmedicinepodcast #colorectalcancer #livingwithcancer #cancerscreening #MentalHealthAwareness #crcawareness #mentalhealth #mensmentalhealth #precisionmedicine #missiondriven

Big howling shout out to Guardant Health, one of our flagship partners for our programs at Man Up to Cancer! A few weeks ago, an FDA advisory committee strongly recommended FDA approval of the Guardant Shield blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer. I was honored to provide video and written testimony in support of Shield, as I believe that a blood-based test will save lives. CRC is one of the cancers that can be identified and cured in early stages, and is usually fatal in stage IV. We need to identify this cancer when it's curable. 1 out of 3 eligible Americans - roughly 50 million people - are not being screened for CRC. At Man Up to Cancer, we support ALL the screening and detection methods for CRC, including colonoscopy, stool-based testing, and blood testing. It's important for you to talk to your doctor about the method that's right for you. During our trip to Chicago for the ASCO conference last week, it was an absolute highlight to meet AmirAli Talasaz, co-CEO of Guardant Health, and to spend time with Julie Hamburg, MPH, director of patient advocacy. To the entire Guardant Health team, on behalf of our community of patients, thank you for your landscape-changing work! #CRCScreening #NewEraCRC #InnovateCRCScreening

Will we see you in Chicago this weekend? In our first year as a non-profit organization, Man Up to Cancer is overseeing the growth of more than 40 regional chapters; shipping hundreds of chemo care backpacks to members of our community; and hosting around 200 attendees at the largest men's cancer retreat ever assembled. We're on pace for more than 1000 meetups between members this year. Men supporting one another, getting vulnerable, and getting out of their man caves to help one another through cancer? Yep, it's happening. If you're at #ASCO24 this weekend and want to learn more, find us in the advocacy area, exhibit hall A booth #13001, or email me at trevor@manuptocancer.org. With COO Joe Bullock, chapter coordinator Don Helgeson, fundraising director Michael Holtz, APR, MPRCA

Is it the end of May already?? Not sure how that happened.. Cancer conference season is rolling! This post is a belated thank you to Dr. Carmen Julia Calfa and her co-directors for inviting me to participate in the 2nd Biennial Miami Precision Medicine Conference, presented May 4-5 by the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center I had the honor and pleasure of getting to know several other patient advocates from around the world, including Terri Conneran (KRAS Kickers), Kathy Baker (My Faulty Gene), Debbie Denardi - MBA, and Camille Moses. The clinicians and staff from Sylvester are incredibly smart, thoughtful, and passionate about their work in support of patients. Special shout out to NP Jessica MacIntyre, executive director for clinical operations at Sylvester. A highlight of the conference for me was getting on stage with two amazing, inspirational men, Oya G. (Health, Hope, & Hip-Hop Foundation) and Mark A. Harris, for Impromptu men's panel. We passionately discussed how to get men active in their health and wellbeing, starting with cancer screenings and check-ins with a primary care physician. Last but certainly not least - a special thank you to my new friend, Andrea Suárez Vargas, for recommending to the team that I would be a good addition to the patient panelists. Thank you Andrea!

Man Up to Cancer's 3rd annual Gathering of Wolves retreat is less than four months away! 👀 The GOW is the signature annual event for our organization. It is a transformative place of restoration, fun, food, campfires, and brotherhood. We have grown from 55 attendees at our first retreat in 2022, to 110 last year, to more than 175 expected this year. The retreat will be held Sept. 5-8 at Pocono Springs Camp, in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Male cancer patients, survivors, and men who are cancer caregivers are welcome to apply, but for this year, they must be a member of our Facebook group: Man Up to Cancer - The Howling Place. Thanks to our amazing sponsors and donors, we are proud to keep this retreat FREE for attendees! If you know a man who could benefit from a retreat with other men going through cancer, please let them know about this one-of-a-kind opportunity. We are still seeking sponsors for 2024 and looking toward 2025. Message me if you are interested! Sanofi Natera Guardant Health Daiichi Sankyo US Servier New England Cancer Specialists Elizabeth F. Franklin, PhD, MSW Rachel Solomon Dina Scaglione Julie Hamburg, MPH Gissoo DeCotiis Tara Brown Seth Blanchard

MAN UP TO CANCER is honored to collaborate with amazing non-profit partners. One of them is Count Me In: Patient-Partnered Research. Count Me In, an organization that empowers people living with cancer to contribute to breakthroughs and increase the pace of biomedical research. Since its launch in 2015, thousands of people living with cancer from around the US and Canada have said “Count Me In” to partnering directly with researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard By sharing our experiences, biological samples, and medical information, we the patients can accelerate scientific breakthroughs. Two of their team members will be giving a "Lunch & Learn" tomorrow, introducing their work to our MUTC community. To the team at Count Me In, thank you for your impactful work! Zoe Geary Melissa Mirick

I had the honor of being interviewed recently by Larry Hagner, founder of The Dad Edge, for his excellent podcast. We cover a lot of territority, including a great conversation about what it has been like to be a dad while going through cancer treatment, and how our daughters inspire me daily. Love you to the moon and back, Sage and Elsie! Check out the link in the comments or just search "Trevor Maxwell The Dad Edge." Larry founded The Dad Edge to help provide guys the tools and guidance to be better husbands, fathers and to leave a legacy that will be celebrated. He has interviewed more than 700 experts on parenting, mindset, patience, communication, intimacy, optimizing health, and the power of community. HOWL!!! 🐺🐺🐺