FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
The Colon Club
Hannah Vogler
(501)666-1990 tel
(501)425-2626 cell
hannahvogler@colondar.com



MOLLY MCMASTER POSES FOR THE 2005 COLONDAR,
CONTINUING HER QUEST TO EDUCATE ABOUT COLORECTAL CANCER


Molly McMaster is at it again – and she’s not alone in her latest effort to educate the world about colorectal cancer. Along with 11 other young women, Molly is featured in the 2005 Colondar – a 12-month wall calendar of beautiful young female colorectal cancer survivors.

The 2005 Colondar is the newest project of The Colon Club, a nonprofit organization co-founded by Molly last year. Each month of the 2005 Colondar features a young woman and a short biography chronicling her individual experience with colorectal cancer. Molly is Miss February.

“Last year I met a young woman in Philadelphia named Erika who had been diagnosed with colon cancer at age 22. We chatted for an hour or so and somewhere in the middle of the conversation, the idea came up that it would be fun to make a calendar of young survivors showing their surgical scars. Now, Erika is Miss November!” said Molly. “The timing just seemed to be right, so we decided to make it happen! We also decided to dedicate the 2005 Colondar to Erika because she is so amazing.”

In July of this year, Molly invited eleven other young survivors to travel to her parents’ house on Lake George for the 2005 Colondar photo shoot. “For the first time in my life, I was literally surrounded by other young colorectal cancer survivors – it was very cool. I’ve never even heard of that many of us together in one place,” said Molly. “We really got to know each other – and making the Colondar was almost like a bonus. Now we just have to get as many Colondars as possible out into the world so that we can educate as many people as possible. Educating people about colorectal cancer is the first step in getting people to talk about the disease – and that’s the first step toward saving lives.”

The price of 2005 Colondar is $15.00. Visit www.colondar.com to order your very own 2005 Colondar!

Molly grew up in Glens Falls, NY. She was diagnosed with stage II colon cancer on February 19, 1999 – her 23rd birthday. After surgery and chemotherapy, Molly is now 28 and has been cancer-free for over five years. A former radio personality, Molly now dedicates her time to educating people, especially the younger population, about colorectal cancer.

She is known for devising crazy stunts to educate people about colorectal cancer. Molly has inline skated across the country, carried the Olympic Torch, and told her story through hundreds of television shows, print articles, and speeches. She is also the creator of the nationally-known Colossal Colon®, a 40-foot long, 4-foot tall model of the human colon that has been traveling around the country since 2002 to teach people of all ages about colorectal cancer.

Molly is President of The Colon Club, and is also the recipient of numerous national awards for her extensive work in colorectal cancer education. Molly is currently writing a book about her experience with colon cancer.

In her spare time, she plays ice hockey with the Clifton Park Arctic Foxes, the team responsible for the Cross-Checking Colon Cancer Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament, which raised over $6,000 last year for The Colon Club. The second annual tournament is scheduled for November 5-7 of this year at the Clifton Park Ice Arena.


ABOUT THE SECOND ANNUAL CROSS-CHECKING COLON
CANCER WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT

The Second Annual Cross Checking Colon Cancer Women’s Ice Hockey Tournament is scheduled to take place November 5-7, 2004 at the Clifton Park Ice Arena in Clifton Park, NY. The tournament benefits The Colon Club, founded by Molly McMaster, a 28 year-old colon cancer survivor and fellow Arctic Fox. Last year’s tournament raised over $7,000 for The Colon Club.

This year's tournament will showcase six teams in two divisions: Senior A/B and Senior Rec C/House. The Senior A/B division will consist of the Hudson River Waves, Long Island Liberty, North Carolina Trailblazers, Rhode Island Panthers, Syracuse Warriors, and Team Connecticut. The Senior Rec C/House division will feature the Adirondack Avalanche, Arctic Foxes, Binghamton Southern Tier Storm, Northern Lightning, Rochester Susan B's, and The Sting. Each team will play three games with the top two teams in each division advancing to the championship.

Sponsors of this year’s tournament are Dr. Joe Guylus/Northeast Spine and Wellness Center, Rinky, Albany River Rats, and Chickwear. For more sponsorship information, contact Lisa Soeller at lsoeller@verizon.net or (518)383-5161.


In the United States, one person is diagnosed with colorectal cancer every 4 minutes and someone dies every 9 minutes of this disease.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in this country. Approximately 147,000 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, and almost 57,000 will die from the disease.

Colorectal cancer is a highly preventable and treatable cancer. Tens of thousands of lives could be saved every year through proper screening. Almost all colorectal cancers begin as polyps in the colon that can be removed during a colonoscopy. When polyps are removed, colorectal cancer can be stopped before it even starts.

When caught early, colorectal cancer has about a 90% survival rate - but when caught in later stages, there is only about a 9% survival rate. Currently, only about 37% of colorectal cancers are caught at the earliest stage, when it is most treatable.

A personal or family history of colorectal cancer, certain other cancers, colon polyps, or other bowel diseases increase your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Anyone can help prevent colorectal cancer by exercising regularly, eating a low-fat high-fiber diet (whole grains, fruits & veggies), maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking.

For specific information about colorectal cancer statistics in your state, please visit www.statecancerprofiles.cancer.gov.