First Annual Gathering of Wolves, Sept. 2022

MEDIA ADVISORY

JULY/AUGUST 2022

Man Up to Cancer to host the ‘Gathering of Wolves’ in Delevan, N.Y.

Assemble a group of 65 men who are cancer patients, survivors, or caregivers from different types of cancer. Gather them at a rustic camp in upstate New York for a weekend in early September. Give them opportunities to play games, hike, eat great food, remember the friends they have lost, and share stories and wisdom around a campfire.

Welcome to the Gathering of Wolves 2022, the retreat that will be unlike any cancer retreat you’ve ever seen.

The gathering, to be held Sept. 9-11 at Camp Duffield in Delevan, N.Y., is the first annual event hosted by Man Up to Cancer, an online support group that is emerging as a powerful voice for men impacted by cancer, and for men’s health. The group — informally known as ‘The Wolfpack,’ — inspires men to avoid isolation during the cancer journey. About 65 members from across North America (and one from Belgium!) have registered to attend the gathering.

Man Up to Cancer consists of a website, podcast, social media channels, and a Facebook group with more than 1,600 members. The group also oversees a Chemo Backpack program, which sends backpacks filled with practical items to members of the community who are going through chemotherapy or immunotherapy.

“A bunch of guys in the group have been talking about an in-person event since the beginning, so we’re thrilled to make this happen,” said Trevor Maxwell, a stage IV colorectal cancer survivor from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, who founded Man Up to Cancer in 2020. “For a lot of us, this group is family. We have each other’s backs during some of the toughest challenges a person can face. This gathering really takes our brotherhood to a whole new level.”

The gathering was planned by group members: Maxwell; Don Helgeson, a survivor of three cancers from British Columbia, Canada; Michael Riehle, a colorectal cancer survivor from South Wales, N.Y.; Danny Riggs, a breast cancer survivor from League City, Texas; and Joe Bullock, a colorectal cancer survivor from Durham, N.C.

Sponsors for the event are Natera, Seagen, CURE, Fight Colorectal Cancer, GI Cancers Alliance, Global Colon Cancer Association, and the American Association for Cancer Research.

###

News outlets are invited to preview the event, and/or cover the event as it happens, with advance notice about your attendance. Reporters and editors can contact Trevor Maxwell, trevor@manuptocancer.org.