The Colon Club

Their method may raise eyebrows, but for the fifth year in a row, The Colon Club has brought together a group of young cancer survivors to raise awareness in an inspiring and educational calendar known as the Colondar. By revealing their scars and sharing their personal stories, the models, all survivors themselves, hope they will save lives by showing that colorectal cancer can happen to anyone at any age.

The 2009 Colondar features five men and eight women who have all battled colorectal cancer under the stereotypical age of 50. Each month features a photograph of an ordinary person with an extraordinary story of survival, all of whom were considered "too young" to have colorectal cancer.

The stories are as unique as the individuals. Danielle was a 17-year-old junior in high school when she was diagnosed. Trish, a high school Assistant Principal, learned the importance of support through her diagnosis, and Doug became a competitive cyclist because of his disease, despite a permanent ostomy. Jaimie struggled with ulcerative colitis for years, knowing that he was at increased risk for developing colon cancer, but he never thought it would happen to him, and Karen’s dream of having children was taken from her after being diagnosed with breast cancer, colon cancer and ovarian cancer. By sharing their symptoms and stressing the importance of prevention and early detection, the models hope that each page in the Colondar will be a reminder that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. and that it is not just "an older person's disease."

This year's Colondar once again saw an artistic design change with a desaturated look - a cross between color and black and white. Remaining the same, however, is the strength and courage portrayed by each model as they reveal their surgical scars, a poignant reminder of what they have been through and how much they have overcome.

“The Colon Club was started to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and to show that it can happen to anyone. This year the models are revealing their scars in a very personal way. When you look at the photos, you realize that they could be anyone passing you on the street or sitting next to you in a coffee shop,” said Molly McMaster, a survivor of stage II colon cancer who will celebrate her 10-year cancer-free anniversary in February of 2009. Molly is also a 2005 Colondar model and Co-Founder of The Colon Club.

The price of the 2009 Colondar is $16.50, which includes shipping and handling within the U.S. It is available for purchase at www.Colondar.com and at select locations across the country. Sales of the 2009 Colondar will help The Colon Club continue to produce more of its trademark “crazy” projects to raise awareness about colorectal cancer.

2009 Colondar sponsors include Behan Communications, BP WebSolutions, Butt-Check, the Colon Cancer Alliance (CCA), Cut the Cheese to Cut Out Colorectal Cancer, the Figg Tree Foundation, Get Your Guts in Gear – The Ride for Crohn’s and Colitis, Genentech BioOncology, the Glens Falls Hospital, Olympus America and United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA).

To read more about each of the models’ stories, visit www.Colondar.com. To request hi-resolution photographs of the Colondar or to set up interviews with models, please contact Molly McMaster or call (518) 879-9815.

January	Elizabeth Dunn	Santa Cruz, CA	Stage III, dx in 2005 at 23
February	Jon Olis	Laguna Niguel, CA	Stage III, dx in 2004 at 36
March	Trish Lannon	Elkridge, MD	Stage III, dx in 2007 at 39
April	Allison Sandor	Salt Lake City, UT	Stage III, dx in 2003 at 29
May	Jaimie Mattes	Woodbury, MN	Stage II, dx in 2002 at 32
June	Shaye Dunn	Fairburn, GA	Stage III, dx in 2004 at 36
July	Terri Valentine	North Little Rock, AR	Stage I, dx in 2007 at 45
August	Doug Hebbard	Fairfield, CA	Stage II, dx in 2003 at 32
September	Greg Hunt	Muskegon, MI	Stage IV, dx in 2005 at 31
October	Danielle Ripley Burgess	Lee’s Summit, MO	Stage III, dx in 2001 at 17
November	Todd Colitti	Thomaston, CT	Stage IV, dx in 1999 at 35
December	Karen Desjardins	Greenfield, NY	Stage II, dx in 1999 at 44
Cover	Erika Kratzer	Blacksburg, VA	Stage IV, dx in 2000 at 22

Now in its fifth year, the award-winning Colondar is becoming increasingly well-known throughout the colorectal cancer community and beyond. A total of 77 models have posed for the Colondar, and over 30,000 Colondars are now in circulation all over the world. The Colondar is dedicated to the life of Erika Kratzer, who is the original inspiration for the Colondar. Erika was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer at the age of 22 and was given little hope of survival. After three surgeries, two rounds of chemotherapy, and one recurrence, she will celebrate her ninth year of survivorship this November. Erika was Miss November in the 2005 Colondar and her eye-catching abdominal scar has graced the cover of every Colondar.

The Colon Club was founded in 2003 by Molly McMaster, a colon cancer survivor who was diagnosed on her 23rd birthday, and Hannah Vogler, whose cousin, Amanda Sherwood Roberts, died of the disease at the age of 27. Their main goal is to educate as many people as possible, as early as possible, about colorectal cancer in interesting and out-of-the-box ways. Their wishes are for people to have "colon talk" in their everyday lives, to know the risk factors and symptoms, and to get screened when it is appropriate for them.

The 2009 Colondar is just one of the many "out-of-the-box" ideas created by The Colon Club. Its best known project is the Colossal Colon^®, a 40-foot long, 4-foot tall crawl-through replica of the human colon designed to educate the public about colorectal cancer. "Coco," as the Colossal Colon^® is affectionately known, is dedicated to Amanda. It was unveiled in March of 2002 and has traveled to over 100 cities in 42 states as well as Canada. The Colon Club’s website also hosts a message board that is primarily designed for younger patients and survivors of colorectal cancer, but serves survivors of all ages from all over the globe.