ASCRS is proud to give The Colon Club the 2019 David Jagelman, MD, Award for advocacy in colorectal cancer. Trish Lannon, president of The Colon Club, accepted the award at the 2019 ASCRS Annual Scientific Meeting in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Jagelman Award is named for Dr. David Jagelman, whose advocacy for his patients at the Cleveland Clinic is legendary. For its outreach on early-onset colorectal cancer, The Colon Club will receive a $1,000 honorarium.

Colorectal cancer is becoming more common in people under 50. The Colon Club offers support and educational resources for young people with colorectal cancer and their caregivers. The Colon Club’s magazine, On the Rise, raises awareness of the many faces of the disease by putting the spotlight on young colorectal cancer survivors and caregivers. Those featured not only bare their scars for the camera—some with colostomy bags—but also share their very personal stories, covering a wide range of issues such as infertility, clinical trials, FAP, Lynch Syndrome and more. The Colon Club also provides grants for the children of colorectal cancer patients through their Kimberly Fund, so those children have a chance to forget about cancer and be a kid again. Patients and caregivers can join Colon Talk, an online forum where they can chat with others to get support, and access blog posts by fellow colorectal cancer patients and medical professionals.

“We at The Colon Club are truly honored for being selected as the 2019 recipient of the David Jagelman Award,” Said Lannon. “When this organization was started in 2003, there was nothing out there for those diagnosed with colorectal cancer at an early age. We have worked hard over the last 16 years to provide resources, support, and a voice for early-age onset colorectal cancer. Thank you to the nominating committee and the ASCRS Executive Council for recognizing the work we are doing to raise awareness and to change the perception of colorectal cancer.”

“As colorectal surgeons, we are deeply concerned about the increasing rate of colorectal cancer in people under 50,” said Sharon Stein, chair of the ASCRS Public Relations Committee. “The work that The Colon Club does is important not only to support people diagnosed with colorectal cancer but also to help prevent it by raising awareness.”