Colon Club Board of Directors
Rebecca Babcock
Becca was born and raised in Chicago. At 25 she was diagnosed with stage III rectal cancer and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP). She inherited FAP from her father, who died of colon cancer at age 36 when Rebecca was just six years old. She has a permanent ostomy known as a K-Pouch that does not interfere with her regular life or her love for Capoeira, a martial arts practice in which she is very active. Rebecca writes a blog at http://thecolonchronicles.blogspot.com, has created a “Cancer Sucks” line of t-shirts, and is Miss August in The Colon Club’s 2008 Colondar. Rebecca brings a youthful voice to The Colon Club, making sure that focus stays on the mission of educating younger people about colorectal cancer.
Troy Burns
In 2004, Troy agreed to design the very first Colondar just two weeks after his father passed away from colon cancer. Since then, he has pushed the creative envelope with each new Colondar, designing new and unique elements every year. Because of his hundreds of hours of work and his complete dedication, the 2005-2010 Colondars have won numerous regional and national design awards. In his non-Colondar life, Troy is chief creative officer at Behan Communications, leading his creative staff in the design of print and digital advertising, logos, marketing brochures, corporate image campaigns, catalogs, calendars, annual reports, research documents, presentation materials and Web sites. Troy’s work has earned design awards in a number of national competitions, and is credited by clients for contributing to the success of many marketing and community awareness programs. In addition to The Colon Club, Troy is involved in many community and civic organizations, including being on the Board of Directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – Greater Adirondack Chapter and Kelly’s Angels, whose mission is to provide grants for fun activities to children who have recently lost a parent to cancer. Troy was named to the area’s first 20 Under 40 Competition, highlighting up-and-coming business leaders under 40 years old. He lives in Queensbury, NY with his wife Janet and three children, Stacia, Anna and Ethan.
Todd M. Colitti
Todd was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer at the age of 35 in 1999 and was given little hope of survival. He became aware of The Colon Club during recovery from his routine semi-annual colonoscopy. A nurse gave him a copy of the 2007 Colondar and he applied to be a model. Todd was selected to be Mr. November 2009 and will celebrate 12 years cancer-free on November 29, 2011. Since his experience with the Colondar, he feels extremely blessed with his health and takes every opportunity to reach out to others with support and encouragement He is committed to raising education and awareness of colorectal cancer. Todd has worked behind the scenes with The Colon Club as a moderator on the message board and with projects like the Big Damn Walk, Cut the Cheese, and the Colondar photoshoot. He is a lieutenant with the City of Waterbury Fire Department and is married with 9 children and 1 grandson.
E-mail Todd
Erika Kratzer
At 22 years old, Erika Kratzer’s life was put on hold when she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2000. Erika came up with the idea for the Colondar and has graced the cover every year. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. and lives with her husband in Blacksburg, VA.
Trudie McMaster
Trudie was welcomed to the world of colorectal cancer when her daughter Molly was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer at age 23. Although Trudie had a polyp removed at age 32, she never knew that her family could be at risk as well. She has been Molly’s biggest supporter since the very beginning, when she drove an RV, following Molly across the United States for Rolling to Recovery, Molly’s first big educational stunt – fondly calling it “my idle across America.” Back in the dark ages before Molly was born, Trudie ran a data processing office for the Town of Ledyard, CT. She has served on the Boards of Trustees of the Sparta United Methodist Church, Sparta, NJ, The Glens Falls Home, Glens Falls, NY and Mt. Grove Memorial Church, Huletts Landing, NY. Trudie is currently a realtor with Prudential Manor Homes and is a specialist in Lake George and Glens Falls area properties. She is a moderator of The Colon Club’s message board and has hosted the annual Colondar photo shoot from the very beginning in 2004.
E-mail Trudie
Molly McMaster Morgoslepov
Molly is President and Co-Founder of The Colon Club. She was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer on February 19, 1999 – her 23rd birthday. A former radio personality, Molly now dedicates her time to educating people, especially younger people, about colorectal cancer. She has inline skated across the country, carried the Olympic Torch, and told her story through hundreds of television shows, print articles, and speeches. Molly is the creator of the nationally-known Colossal Colon®, a 40-foot long, four-foot tall model of the human colon that has been traveling around the country since 2002 to educate people of all ages about colorectal cancer. She is also the recipient of numerous national awards for her extensive work in colorectal cancer education, including the Adirondack Athlete of the Year, the 2002 Rotary Citizen of the Year, the 2003 Colon Cancer Alliance “Voices” Award, the 2003 Colorectal Cancer Network “90 in 9” Advocacy Award, and the 2003 Sloan Kettering Tavel Resnik Award for excellence in cancer education. She served on the Board of Directors of the Colon Cancer Alliance from 2003-2005, and received a New York State Women of Distinction Award in 2006. In March of the same year, the UHL Cross Checks Colon Cancer project allowed Molly to hit the ice for the cause, playing ice hockey with all fourteen teams in the United Hockey League to raise more awareness. Molly speaks regularly on the subject of colorectal cancer and remains an advocate because she connects to so many different people. She continues to use that connection to teach people about this highly preventable disease. Molly lives in upstate New York with her husband and their two young sons. She teaches group fitness classes at the Saratoga Regional YMCA and plays ice hockey in her spare time.
Sergei Morgoslepov
Originally hailing from Moscow, Russia, Sergei Morgoslepov has been in the United States since 1997. An avid ice hockey player, Sergei met his wife, Molly McMaster, while playing in a hockey league in upstate New York. He designed the website for Molly’s first stunt, Rolling to Recovery, and now helps The Colon Club maintain its presence on the Internet. Sergei is the Programming Manager at The Adirondack Trust Company in Saratoga Springs, NY and is the owner of Bit Products, a web and software design company.
Alexander A. Parikh, M.D.
Alex attended undergraduate school at Johns Hopkins University followed by medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. He then completed a residency in General Surgery at the University of Cincinnati followed by a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Surgical Oncology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Dr. Parikh has an active practice in treating patients with primary and metastatic colorectal cancer as well as other gastrointestinal malignancies. In addition, he is the Assistant Director of the Vanderbilt -Ayers Institute for Precancer Detection and Diagnosis and is actively involved in research involving the development of biomarkers for early detection and treatment of colorectal and other gastrointestinal malignancies.
Scott C. Paton
Scott became involved in The Colon Club after his wife, Kimberly Troisi-Paton, was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer at the age of 35. Kim, Miss April in the 2007 Colondar, was extremely dedicated to raising awareness about colorectal cancer and raising funds for The Colon Club. Before her death in August 2007 from a recurrence, Kim was instrumental in supporting the 2008 Colondar, and she created Posterior Designs, The Colon Club’s line of greeting cards. Kim and Scott met at Cornell Law School, where he received a Doctor of Law degree, cum laude, in 1994 and served as the Special Projects Editor of the Cornell Law Review. Scott completed a clerkship with the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Third Department, and practiced in the litigation department of DeGraff, Foy, Holt-Harris, Kunz & Devine, LLP before becoming a Principal at McNamee, Lochner, Titus & Williams, P.C. in 2003. He is a member of the New York State Bar Association, Albany County Bar Association, and the American Trial Lawyers’ Association. In addition, Scott has authored articles and given oral presentations in the field of labor and employment law, and is currently authoring various articles regarding recent court decisions and developments in the area of labor and employment law and civil litigation. He lives in Cohoes, NY with his and Kim’s two young children.
Krista Waller
Since working as a Physician Representative at Ohio Valley Colon & Rectal Surgeons (OVCRS) in Evansville, IN for 5 years, Krista Waller volunteers as a colon cancer awareness advocate and is the Secretary of The Colon Club’s Board of Directors. While working at OVCRS, Krista put into operation the company’s passion to educate the community, as well as primary care physicians, about colorectal cancer. Her colon-related creativity is unmatched, and she is known throughout the community as “the colon girl.” Krista consistently delivers new creative educational projects such as the Captain Colon cartoon series, “Wipe Out Colorectal Cancer” toilet paper, “Flush Out” Cancer & Other Diseases, and the Pluck the Polyp game. Krista began working with The Colon Club when she organized the Colossal Colon’s trip to Evansville and she continued her involvement by volunteering at the 2008, 2009, and 2010 Colondar photo shoots before joining the Board of Directors. She lives in Evansville with her husband (who just so happens to be a colorectal surgeon), and her two daughters who have been known to occasionally dress as polyps.
E-mail Krista
Chris Wills
Chris found The Colon Club’s website in the summer of 2009, shortly after his 32-year-old wife, Staci, was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer. Since her diagnosis, he’s been an advocate for colorectal cancer awareness and education, and he and Staci (Ms. October in the 2012 Colondar) are active participants in the Get Your Rear in Gear series of 5K races. In his “day job,” Chris manages software and infrastructure projects for a large bank; he’s also getting ready to start the dissertation phase in his work toward a Ph.D. in educational psychology and instructional technology. He serves as The Colon Club’s treasurer and helps Sergei and others with the website when needed. Chris lives in Canfield, Ohio with Staci and their three children – Madeleine, Connor, and Murphy.
