Landmark DocTalk on Liver Mets
Aug 28, 2023 — Join us for a first look at the PUMP trial in this panel discussion on August 30th.
Colorectal cancer patients with unresectable liver mets will find this a valuable discussion of an important new trial.
As with all our DocTalks, the video will be posted to the Lecture Hall in COLONTOWN University.
Surgery Resource Launches
Aug 24, 2023 — The latest module in COLONTOWN University’s popular CRC101 Learning Center focuses on surgery.
This resource provides clear explanations of each major type of surgery offered to colorectal cancer patients, along with practical considerations, questions to ask your surgeon, and more!
PALTOWN Board Chair on AACR Podcast
July 17, 2023 –PALTOWN Board Chair Howard Brown discusses survivorship and cancer research on this episode of the “Believe in Progress” podcast from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
Howard is a two-time stage IV cancer survivor, entrepreneur, published author, and member of COLONTOWN. He has served on PALTOWN’s Board of Directors since 2018, and became Chair in 2023.
2022 PALTOWN Annual Report
June 7, 2023 — Our latest annual snapshot is here! Check out our people, our programs, and our progress after a year of growth!
Scientific Director Dr Manju George on Fear of Recurrence
June 3, 2023 — PALTOWN’s Scientific Director, Dr. Manju George, co-authored an article addressing fear of recurrence in cancer patients for a recent issue of the ASCO Daily News. This publication from the American Society of Clinical Oncology reaches oncologists and other health care professionals. We are proud of Dr. George’s reputation among CRC clinicians and researchers as a leading patient advocate!
Resource Fair for Kids' Programs Now in COLONTOWN University
May 24, 2023 — Check out our newest resource on COLONTOWN University: a roundup of programs for kids who parent has or had cancer. The resource fair, hosted by COLONTOWN’s Parents Talking Assocation group, featured presentations from 6 organizations, and the downloadable resource guide provides even more material.
PALTOWN Welcomes New Board Members
May 23, 2023 — Please join us in welcoming our new members of PALTOWN’s Board of Directors.
Dr. Leslie Cloud and Alexa Morell are colorectal cancer patients, and Susan Pfau and Jackie Robins bring experience as caregivers. All are part of our COLONTOWN community.
Get to know our Board!
PALTOWN's 2022 Annual Report Available
May 22, 2023 — PALTOWN has published its 2022 Annual Report.
The Report features our programs, our people, and our finances.
This year, we remember three remarkable staff members – Jen Eldridge, Lindsey Musick, and Steve Schwarze. Each of them left a lasting impact on our programs and on everyone they touched in our community.
New Diet and Lifestyle Resource
April 16, 2023 — The latest edition to COLONTOWN University is now live. The Diet and Lifestyle module in CRC101 covers eating, exercise, living with an ostomy, and working through treatment. Like all our content, this wonderful resource draws on the lived experience of thousands of COLONTOWN members!
Meet the Mayor
April 1, 2023 —We are excited to introduce Stacey Runfola, COLONTOWN’s new Mayor. Stacey has been a member of COLONTOWN since 2011, as a caregiver for her husband Rick. After Rick passed away in 2014, Stacey remained an active part of COLONTOWN as it grew. She has been a leader of our caregiver neighborhoods and helped develop the Empowered Patient Leader training program.
Stacey will work closely with the Cabinet, the team of patients and caregivers who manage COLONTOWN on a daily basis.
Community Fundraising for the Win
March 31, 2023 — More than 40 COLONTOWNies participated in our March Calendar Campaign, asking their networks to help them fill 31 days with donations.
Thanks to everyone who made this our most successful March Campaign to date! We raised more than $15,000 – enough to run a second in-person Empowered Patient Leader program this year!
COLONTOWNies Represent at the Cologuard Classic
March 5, 2023 — 5 COLONTOWN members attended the Cologuard Classic Golf Tournament, thanks to sponsor Exact Sciences. Each member was paired with a pro who played in their honor, and everyone participated in events to raise awareness around colorectal cancer screening and treatment.
Stage 3 survivor Meghan Wallace played in the Pro-Am as a special treat!
Colon Cancer Coalition Supports Community Leaders
February 20, 2023 —We are thrilled to announce that the Colon Cancer Coalition has provided a grant to help support the COLONTOWN Community Leader Program for the coming year. Our Community Leaders, a volunteer team of patients and caregivers, oversee the more than 120 “neighborhoods” in COLONTOWN. They work to to keep COLONTOWN a safe, respectful space where CRC patients and caregivers can “find their people!”
New PALTOWN Board and Executive Leadership
February 1, 2023 — PALTOWN congratulates longtime Board of Directors member Howard Brown for his election to Chair of the Board, and welcomes Susan Wysoki as Executive Director of the organization.
Howard, a stage IV CRC survivor, author, and entrepreneur, and Susan, a caregiver to daughter Jessica, who passed away in 2018, both bring deep experience and commitment to their new roles.
PALTOWN 2023 Leadership Retreat
January 9, 2023 — PALTOWN staff and volunteers gathered in San Diego for a weekend of team building and program planning. As a virtual organization, we find these annual events provide us much-needed time to brainstorm and connect.
Many thanks to lead sponsor Taiho Oncology for their continued support!
Lindsey Musick, COLONTOWN Mayor
December 3, 2022 – It is with tremendous sadness that we share the passing of our beloved COLONTOWN Mayor Lindsey Emma Musick. She led the community fearlessly and with complete compassion. We will miss her and are committed to continuing her tireless work to empower and embrace patients and caregivers in COLONTOWN, and through the Empowered Patient Leaders Program.
All New Clinical Trials Resource
November 20, 2022 – Our COLONTOWN University team has completely reimagined our Clinical Trials Basics Learning Center.
This unique resource draws on the experiences of COLONTOWN members to help patients and caregivers understand not just what clinical trials are and how to access them, but how to approach trials as part of their own treatment plan.
Survivorship (and Cookies): New Book from COLONTOWNie Howard Brown
October 10, 2022 – Howard Brown’s new memoir, “Shining Brightly” looks at survivorship through a lens of hope and resiliency. Howard, a COLONTOWNie, two-time cancer survivor, and a member of PALTOWN’s Board of Directors, celebrated the publication with custom cookies created by COLONTOWN Cabinet member Jenn Bass.
Remembering Steve
August 25, 2022 — We are all deeply grieving the loss of Steve Schwarze, who served the community in many ways over his years with us. As Interim Mayor, Community Leader, Workshop Faculty, Cabinet Member, and Director of Clinical Trials Programming, Steve was always at the heart of COLONTOWN. He was a teacher, a mentor, and a friend. Please take a moment to learn more about this extraordinary human being.
New COLONTOWN Cabinet Members
August 20, 2022 – The COLONTOWN Cabinet, the patient and caregiver team that manages our online CRC community, welcomes two new members. Meagan is a stage IV patient from Canada, and Jenn, a stage III patient, also helps manage our Empowered Patient Leader training.
Empowered Patient Leader Training Goes Live
June 27, 2022 – We are thrilled to announce the return of our popular Empowered Patient Leader training to an in-person format.
We hosted our first live session in 2 1/2 years in New Jersey, and it was a great success. We continue to offer virtual EPL training as well, which allows folks from all around the world to participate.
Many thanks to our sponsor Taiho, who has funded this program since its inception.
Trial "Safari" Program Launches
June 25, 2022 — PALTOWN’s newest training program, the Searching Safari, has just wrapped up its inaugural sessions. This program, developed by COLONTOWN Cabinet member Julie Saliba Clauer and Clinical Trials Program Director Steve Schwarze, helps patients navigate the dense world of trials information to develop a short list of trial options.
PALTOWN at ASCO
June 7, 2022 – PALTOWN staff attended the world’s largest cancer conference, hosted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology Chicago.
Our patient and caregiver team attended scientific sessions, staffed our booth on the convention floor, and met with advocates, researchers, and sponsors in person for the first time since 2019.
These events provide us with the opportunity to interact directly with the investigators working on cutting edge clinical trials, and to make connections and spread the word about the work, and the people, that make COLONTOWN so amazing.
COLONTOWN Website Redesign
June 4, 2022 – Time for a facelift! We’ve updated our COLONTOWN website to provide a friendly one-stop destination for all our programs to support colorectal cancer patients and caregivers.
Our Facebook groups, our training programs, the latest DocTalks – come see everything we have to offer!
New in CRC101: Radiation
May 10, 2022 – Our CRC101 Learning Center in COLONTOWN University continues to grow!
Check out the latest resource from our fantastic content development team: a guide to radiation therapy for newly diagnosed patients.
2021 Annual Report
April 4, 2022 — PALTOWN’s 2021 Impact Report provides a look at our year, our programs, our finances, and, of course, our people!
We are so grateful to our donors, partners and sponsors, who enable PALTOWN to continue to benefit the lives of thousands of patients and caregivers.
We’ve also included a peek at our plans for this year!
News and Notes from Our Scientific Director
March 28, 2022 — Our new resource in COLONTOWN University features a round up of research news as well as some personal insights from PALTOWN Scientific Director (and patient) Dr. Manju George.
We launch with a look at recent conversations in the CRC “Twitterverse,” and Manju’s “How to Cancer” piece reflecting on her 5 years since diagnosis.
Meet the Mayor
March 21, 2022 — Meet COLONTOWN Mayor Lindsey Musick in this new interview. Emmy-award winning journalist Christy McDonald produced this video as part of her CRC Awareness Month series. Christy was a caregiver for her husband Jamie Samuelsen, who passed away in 2020. Many thanks to Christy for her continued work to advocate for early screening!
Chemotherapy Resource for Newly Diagnosed Patients
March 9, 2022 — COLONTOWN University’s CRC101 guide for newly diagnosed patients just got even better! We’ve added an extensive new section on chemotherapy – everything from side effects to ports and PICC lines.
Check out this unique resource, created from the experiences of the thousands of patients in COLONTOWN!
Live Facebook Event: Meet Our People!
Join us on March 9th at 1 pm EST for a Live Facebook event. Meet some of our amazing patients and caregivers!
COLONTOWNies Represent at the Cologuard Classic
February 23, 2022 — We’re having fun this week watching Team COLONTOWN at the Cologuard Classic PGA Champions Tour event. Richard Jue is playing in the Pro-Am, and all our participants are paired with a pro playing in their honor.
Follow along on our Facebook page and at #cologuardclassic!
PALTOWN Presents at Research Conference
January 22, 2022 — PALTOWN presented a poster (a visual summary of a research project) at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium in San Francisco.
PALTOWN COO Nancy Seybold and Scientific Director Manju George provided a look at the unique methodology for developing COLONTOWN University, along with some data about the impact of this educational resource for the patients and caregivers who use it.
New Home for COLONTOWN University
January 20, 2022 — We’re excited to launch the new and improved version of COLONTOWN University.
This updated website includes our brand new CRC 101 Learning Center — which breaks down everything newly diagnosed patients need to know about their cancer — as well as the Learning Centers you already know and love.
We invite you to explore learn.colontown.org for more information! We have more content in the works, so check CTU on a regular basis for updates.
PALTOWN Leadership Summit
December 14th, 2021 — PALTOWN held its first ever Leadership Summit in San Diego this month. The weekend-long event brought together PALTOWN staff and board members, the COLONTOWN management team, the science and clinical trials education teams, and key volunteers in COLONTOWN and our EPL training program.
Many thanks to sponsor Taiho Oncology for their support of this milestone!
Second Opinion Stories
November 19th, 2021 — Meet Chastity and James, 2 of the stage IV patients who reached NED (No Evidence of Disease) thanks to the second opinions they sought with the help of PALTOWN’s Second Opinion Project.
Colon Cancer Coalition Supports Cabinet
Sept 15, 2021 — We are thrilled to announce that the Colon Cancer Coalition has provided a grant to help support the COLONTOWN Cabinet for the coming year. The Cabinet, a team of patients and caregivers, manages all aspects of our COLONTOWN community, from onboarding to outreach to member support. They work with over 100 volunteers to keep our 120 groups safe, respectful spaces where CRC patients and caregivers can “find their people!”
Research Roundup: June 2021
June 24, 2021 — PALTOWN’s Scientific Director Manju George and FightCRC’s Trial Curator Maia Walker have teamed up to discuss some of the most interesting CRC research presented at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in this blog produced by our partners at Fight CRC.
Community Engagement Initiative Launches
June 21, 2021 –COLONTOWN’s network of 36 U.S. and 6 international “Crews” connect members who live or are treated near each other. The Community Engagement Initiative will bring live versions of our Doc Talks series to patients around the country, beginning with Cleveland in August, 2021.
Many thanks to sponsor Thermo Fisher for supporting this Initiative.