WHEW - it has been a busy first quarter at the Greater Chattanooga Colon Cancer Foundation! Preparing for the annual Rump Run is always a fun, but crazy time with finalizing event details, scheduling media appearances for our doctors and survivors, recruiting volunteers, and the event itself. Details on this year's Rump Run can be found later in the newsletter, but I am very happy to say that this was the most successful event yet, and would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of our planning committee members, survivors, sponsors and volunteers who made it happen! Looking forward, we have several other events coming up, with the annual MoParty scheduled for May 11th - 12th, and the GCCCF Night at the Lookouts on Sunday, June 3rd. More details on both of those events to follow, and we hope to see you there!
With warm wishes for you and your family,
Kayse Rigsby
Executive Director
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Rump Run Details
Total Registrations - 737 - Rump Run record!
Total Survivors - 38 - Rump Run record!
Total Teams - 37 - Rump Run record!
Top Overall Male - Nathan Lawyer (18 minutes, 47 seconds)
Top Overall Female - Destin Griffin-Trussel (22 minutes, 21 seconds)
Largest Team - Semi Colons (84 members)
Most Creative Team Name - You Clean We Screen
Largest Fundraiser - David Harrison ($550)
Thank you to all who came out on a drizzly Saturday morning to make this such a successful and fun event! A special thank you to our 2018 planning committee members, who worked hard for months to pull off this event. If you are interested in serving on the planning committee for next year, please email us at chattrumprun@gmail.com.
SAVE THE DATE!!
Saturday, March 9th
Rump Run 2019
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2018 Committee
Tyler Bennett
Tom Brien, MD
Debra Davis
Destin Griffin-Trussel
Marshall Horton, MD
Catherine Marcum, MD
Therese Peek
Shauna Lorenzo-Rivero, MD
Kayse Rigsby
Wendy Sanders
Alison Sexter
Kim Shank
Camille Sommer, MD
Stacey Swafford
Janda White
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Colon Cancer Spotlight - Aaron's Story
Shared by Vicki Aragon
I am Aaron Wright’s mother. I am sure all of you mothers out there can identify the time that you no longer were yourself, you were someone’s mother. All of my children’s friends probably did not know my first name.
This is a lead in to how you feel as a mother when you have a sick child and are helpless in making things better. It doesn't matter who I am, it matters who he was.
My son Aaron, was a healthy, happy, 16-year-old boy. He had just gotten his driver’s license, his first car and had girls, sports and college on his mind. At 6’2” and 220 lbs. he was the view of what a healthy boy that age should be. We had all the normal doctor appointments during his life, but he rarely was sick.
One day, that all changed. He had lost a little weight, but as he was going through a growth spurt yet again, it did not cause me any worry. But, one afternoon he told he didn't feel good and his side was hurting. I checked, he didn't have a fever, so I thought we would give it a little time to see if he felt better. In the morning it was the same, and again, with my child hardly ever being sick – this was not normal. I made a doctor’s appointment the same day. They did all the preliminary tests. The doctor told me he couldn't find anything but wanted to schedule an ultra-sound just to check things out. I don’t know if the doctor suspected anything at that point, but being our family physician for a long time, any suspicions weren't shared with me.
The next day we were at the hospital early for the ultra-sound. I was in the waiting room and one of the nurses came to talk to me. They just said something was showing up and they wanted to do a CAT-scan.
After that, they came and told me that he would be ready to go home soon, and they would send the results to the doctor. It was about this time that I began to unravel. I wanted to know what was wrong with my son and I wanted to know right then! It was surreal the way everyone was acting, but they contacted the doctor’s office and arranged for me to meet them after hours. Once we got to the doctor’s office, our normal doctor was not there so we had to speak with one of his associates. Not that this has any significance, but the delivery of the message might have been better. We were told that Aaron had a tumor in his colon, but that was not the bad part. His liver was already diseased and there was no cure. Our world changed.
After several doctor appointments with oncology specialists, we were told it had already progressed too far. From there, we went to St. Jude to take part in a new trial. Radiation and chemotherapy did not help. He did have surgery for his colon to remove the tumor and ended up having a colostomy. How do you get a 16-year-old beyond that? He was not a small child who didn't understand what was happening. We had some very difficult days. With all the sickness, loss of hair, loss of weight and the fact that it had to do with his colon and bodily functions, it was demoralizing. As Aaron’s mom, I was ill equipped. If you are reading this, you probably think you know how the body responds to radiation/chemotherapy…. I can assure you that if you have never been through it, you do NOT.
Aaron lived 6 months to the day. His body just could not keep up with the demands. Just shy of his 17thbirthday, I lost him forever.
Colon cancer can strike at any time, to anyone, of any age. This message is to tell you to not overlook any changes in your body. Go to the doctor, get a colonoscopy, watch your weight and watch what you eat. Don’t let something so horrible as cancer take over or possibly take your life.
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Are you willing to share how colon cancer has impacted your life? Please contact us and let us know!
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The 2018 SE Moparty Picnic, benefitting the Greater Chattanooga Colon Cancer Founation, is scheduled for Friday, May 11th, and Saturday, May 12th. If you are a Mopar enthusiast, you do NOT want to miss this amazing event. If you are not a big Mopar fan, you still want to come out and support the GCCCF and see some cool cars. You can also cheer on GCCCF Vice President Marshall Horton, as he races in the Super Stock Showdown Friday night at Rossville Motor Speedway.
Volunteers are needed to help with the GCCCF booth and to help serve lunch to event attendees. If you are interested, please contact us for more information.
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Friday, May 11th
9:00 - 3:00 - Registration at Camp Jordan
323 Camp Jordan Parkway
East Ridge, TN 37412
4:00 - 10:00 - Super Stock Showdown
Brainerd Motorsport Park
745 Scruggs Road
Ringgold, GA 30736
Saturday, May 12th
9:00 - 4:00 - Moparty Picnic
Camp Jordan
BBQ, Mopars, Vendors, GCCCF Giant Colon, and more!
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The 12th annual Call on Congress resulted in a step forward for cancer research. Congress approved the largest U.S. research spending increase in a decade, and it was signed into law on the afternoon of March 23rd. This includes funding increases for the Department of Defense Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program (DoD PRCRP) and a$3 billion increase to the National Instittute of Health.
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GCCCF in the News
From Rump Run promotions, to survivor stories, to downtown Chattanooga going blue for Colon Cancer, the Greater Chattanooga Colon Cancer Foundation was all over the news over the last few months! Local television personality David Carroll even shared his screening and prep experience in a recent blog. We appreciate all those who have been willing to spotlight colon cancer, and help spread the message that it is preventable, treatable and beatable!!
Downtown Chattanooga Goes Blue for Colon Cancer
GCCCF Chair Shauna Lorenzo-Rivero and Survivor Deb Davis Promote Rump Run
GCCCF Chair Shauna Lorenzo-Rivero and Survivor Greg Grobmyer Promote Rump
Run
Survivor Deb Davis Shares Her Colon Cancer Story
David Carroll - It's All Behind Me Now
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Jimmy Kemmel and Katie Couric behind the scenes of Jimmy's first colonoscopy
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