Over Eighty Colorectal Cancer Advocates to Summit Quandary Peak

July 10, 2018

Over Eighty Colorectal Cancer Advocates to Summit Quandary Peak

A group of survivors, caregivers, and advocates will hike a “fourteener” to raise awareness and funding for colorectal cancer advocacy and research.

A group of Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) advocates will begin their hike at 5:15 AM MDT on the Quandary Peak Trailhead located in the White River National Forest. The average time to reach the summit, which is at 14,265 feet above sea level, is about six to seven hours.

Those who are unable to attend Climb for a Cure can hike, bike, walk, run at their own pace with the Climb for a Cure’s virtual climb. Fight CRC has already raised nearly $ 35,000 for colorectal cancer awareness, advocacy, and research. Funds raised help to support those who have recently been diagnosed with resources, such as Your Guide in the Fight, as well as support their year-round advocacy efforts.

“My involvement with Fight CRC is personal. I was diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer in 2016, and the resources and support I’ve gotten from Fight CRC helped to make my cancer journey a little less scary,” says advocate Jelena Thompkins, who is participating in her second Climb for a Cure. “The physical challenge of the Climb attracted me to participate so I could show myself that although cancer may have weakened me, it did not break me.”

Also among the climbers, will be Fight CRC advocate, Chad Schrack who is walking across the United States in honor of his wife who is a colorectal cancer survivor. Schrack has already journeyed over 1,200 miles, starting in Washington, D.C. with plans to finish his journey in Santa Monica, Calif. this September. He will have walked over 1,500 miles when he reaches Colorado.

“Climb for a Cure was started by Fight CRC advocates in 2016. Chad Schrack, Chris Ganser, Brian Threlkeld, and Evan Conant have raised not only thousands of dollars over the years, but also vital awareness of the importance of screening, said Fight CRC president Anjee Davis. “They founded Climb for a Cure as they knew if survivors could fight colorectal cancer, they could climb a mountain.”