JWT - Volume V
Joe’s Wolfpack Trailblazers
August 2020
When I was declared cancer-free from stage 3B colorectal cancer in February of 2019, I wasn’t sure what to do with my life. It was a gift I honestly didn’t know how to unwrap.
I started to look at how other men cancer patients and survivors were spending their lives. What I found was a group of men rising above their own struggles, to help others in the fight. Joe’s Wolfpack Trailblazers is a monthly feature that highlights the works of community service by these remarkable men.
This month, I’m proud to feature the works of Rick Will, James Hiter, Jr., Michael Holtz, Alex Pabon, and I share a personal story about how Charles Griffin Jr. helped me become the advocate I am today.
Also, if you haven’t listened to my interview with Trevor Maxwell on the Man Up to Cancer Podcast, I hope you check it out. I’m honored to be the first guest!
— Joe Bullock, lead administrator, Man Up to Cancer - The Howling Place (Also known as The Wolfpack)
Click here to jump to Volume I
Click here to jump to Volume II
Click here to jump to Volume III
Click here to jump to Volume IV
Rick Will
RICK WILL
FUQUAY-VARINA NORTH CAROLINA
STAGE IV SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA
ULMAN FOUNDATION
My name is Rick Will and I was given the news on July 14, 2014, that I had stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma. It was found at the base of my tongue, two weeks shy of my 50th birthday.
At the time of my diagnosis I was in the best shape of my life, which was a blessing for the treatments to come. I was running five days a week training for my first 1/2 marathon and working out as many days. Once treatments started I tried to keep up my training but chemo and radiation took their toll on my energy. After four months I was declared cancer-free, but I will never be fully free of it because of the changes it did to me physically and mentally. I have struggled with depression from the side effects of the treatments and wanting to be the person I was before my diagnosis.
In 2019 I was introduced to the Ulman Foundation Cancer to 5K program which brings survivors and people who may still be in active treatment together with volunteer trainers who work with you to train for a 5K. Being with this group brought back my excitement for running and pushed me to chip away at the fears , anger and depression I carry daily.
The Ulman Cancer to 5K was my first involvement with a survivorship group. Feeling understood and not alone with my struggles was awesome. I am finally running again on a regular basis and working out regularly, staying strong and ready to Fight to Live. The Ulman Cancer to 5K provides a community of support for cancer survivors through a free 12-week training program.
Regardless of age, treatment status, or physical ability, survivor participants run/walk alongside coaches and volunteer “sherpas” with the ultimate goal of completing a 5K race. While everyone’s cancer journey is different, many individuals can benefit from a weekly exercise routine.
Take your life back from cancer… one mile at a time! https://ulmanfoundation.org/cancerto5k/
James Hiter Jr.
JAMES HITER JR.
HARRISBURG, VIRGINIA
STAGE IV LUNG CANCER
STREAK FOR A CURE
Hello fellow Pack members! As a survivor (first diagnosed in 2016 with never-smoker Lung Cancer; Stage 4 since 2017) and avid runner, I founded Streak for a Cure to bring awareness to Lung Cancer. We are a 100% volunteer nonprofit dedicated to Lung Cancer education, survivor support and research funding. We’ve just launched our first nationwide initiative… #StreakForAWeek and I hope you’ll join us!
Streak for a Week is our way to make new friends, build awareness, raise money for research and have some fun. We are challenging people to run or walk at least one mile every day for seven days. When you do, you’ll be raising awareness for Lung Cancer by posting on social media using the hashtag #StreakForAWeek. If you register your streak, you can help raise money.
All the proceeds from #StreakForAWeek are going to life-extending research. Registered runners and walkers will receive a cool T-shirt as our thank you for participating. If you don’t want to walk or run, you can donate or sponsor someone else’s #StreakForAWeek.
My initial diagnosis and lobectomy ended my first running streak at 763 days. A second streak of 934 days (through 2 ½ years of chemo every 21 days) ended earlier this year with another lung surgery. Since March 25, 2020, I’ve been back running every day without missing a day. I hope you will join us and be a part of something positive- #StreakForAWeek!
You can learn more about Streak for a Cure, Inc at www.streakforacure.ORG/about. You can join Streak for a Week by clicking https://runsignup.com/Race/VA/Virtual/StreakForAWeekStreakForACure to register or donate.
We are determined to have at least one registered participant from every state. Thanks in advance for signing up and encouraging others to do the same! Howl!!
Michael Holtz
MICHAEL HOLTZ
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE
STAGE 3B RECTAL CANCER
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY CANCER ACTION NETWORK
There are a lot of family firsts in my life story: first male to graduate high school, first in my
family to go to college and then graduate school, and first to be diagnosed with cancer.
Five days after my 43rd birthday, I was diagnosed with rectal cancer during a colonoscopy in
March of 2012. My gastroenterologist couldn’t shake the irony of giving a cancer diagnosis to
someone who worked for the American Cancer Society during Colorectal Cancer Awareness
Month.
Treatment was an 11-month haul: an oral chemotherapy (Xeloda) and radiation therapy
combination, followed by surgery and then six months FOLFOX chemotherapy. Surgery left me
with a permanent colostomy because the tumor was bigger than expected and radiation scarred
most of my rectal tissue. Because of chemotherapy, I have neuropathy in my feet, enlargement
of my heart’s left ventricle, and early-stage normal-pressure glaucoma.
Still, I’m alive to tell the story, which is exactly what I’ve done from the moment of my diagnosis.
I’m a public relations guy and writer by training, and I wanted to be wide open about my cancer
journey. I knew from my work at ACS that cancer is the disease people fear most, and mine was
the cancer people understand least. I saw it as my calling to demystify colorectal cancer.
During treatment, I used Facebook and CaringBridge to let my friends and family be part of the
process — it also helped reduce the number of phone calls my wife, Sarah, and I had to make
to family members after every appointment with my oncologist, radiation oncologist and
surgeon. Throughout my treatment journey my attitude was upbeat. I didn’t experience much in
the way of negative side effects, except for anal leakage during radiation and extreme fatigue
from chemotherapy.
My late father-in-law encouraged me to write a book about my experience because he was
astonished by my attitude and thought people needed to know how I did it. On Christmas Day
2014, I presented him with the first draft of what would become, It’s Not Harder Than Cancer:
The Mindsets You Need to Survive and Thrive After Serious Illness. I wrote about things like
expressing gratitude even when life if difficult, surrounding yourself with people who love you,
and expressing that love. The book was published in the spring of 2015.
I left ACS in the summer of 2014. Six months later I returned as Tennessee’s state lead
volunteer for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network , the Society’s advocacy
affiliate. I believe cancer advocacy is my God-given mission to help bring an end to cancer.
Meeting with lawmakers, bringing more grassroots volunteers into the fold and using the power
of the media to put pressure on lawmakers are all things I do regularly. I’ve also raised around
$20,000 for both ACS and ACS CAN since I became a volunteer. We’re in the midst of ACS
CAN’s annual Lights of Hope campaign right now.
Connecting with people, especially men,
Alex Pabon
ALEX PABON
CAMERON, NORTH CAROLINA
STAGE IV COLORECTAL CANCER
THE AZUL FOUNDATION
Alex Pabon is a proud member of the United States Army. He serves as an active duty Sergeant First Class Paratrooper with 16 years of experience and combat time. The Azul Foundation was created for many reasons and was born shortly after Wednesday, February 5, 2020. That is the day that Alex was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Being a 35-year-old man, husband, father of four, and soldier, he knew he had to find a way to make a difference not only for his family but for others.
Following his diagnosis, Alex went through depression for several weeks. Those undoubtably were the worst weeks of his life — a whirlwind of appointments with surgeons, oncologists, scans, and biopsies. His final diagnosis was indeed stage four colorectal cancer that had spread to his liver. Waiting for the results took an emotional toll on him that led him to steadfastly trust in God and lean increasingly on his faith. Alex decided to put his energy into something he loves: helping and supporting others.
Alex founded The Azul Foundation, an organization that provides others diagnosed with colorectal cancer the strategies and support they need to cope with depression and other challenges. Azul, the color blue, by no means refers to despair or sadness. Blue represents the color worn to promote colorectal cancer awareness. He wants to bring awareness to this terrible cancer and the depression that often accompanies it. Although cancer has found its way into his life and the lives of many others, the three pillars he lives by are faith, courage, and relationships. They will be the foundation as Alex navigates this difficult journey for himself and as he supports and assists others.
Alex is currently raising funds to create Chemotherapy Faith Based Care Packages to send to chemotherapy patients. Below is a Paylink to support his foundation.
https://www.paypal.me/theazulfoudation?locale.x=en_US
Pay The Azul Foundation Inc. using PayPal.Me
Go to paypal.me/theazulfoudation and type in the amount. Since it’s PayPal, it's easy and secure.
Joe Bullock
JOE BULLOCK
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
STAGE 3B COLORECTAL CANCER
MAN UP TO CANCER
A fellow cancer warrior once said that being a cancer patient is like being a glow stick. To make a glow stick work you have to break it and once you have broken it, the glow stick will shine.
That friend was Charles Griffin Jr. He died in the summer of 2019 from stage IV colorectal cancer. I remember when he gave that speech the previous summer to a group of the members of Colontown. He shared about how cancer had broken him like a glow stick but now it was time for him to shine. When he gave that speech even though I was watching it on YouTube, I could tell there was not a dry eye in the room. It left me in tears as well.
A couple of days later I reached out to Charles on Facebook. I had recently been diagnosed with stage 3b colon cancer. Charles encouraged me to stay positive, to reach out to others and find ways to give back to the cancer community, especially to men because there was such a need for support among men fighting colon cancer. I joined Colontown and their men's group called ‘Men's Poker Group.’ I started to learn how many of these men were having an impact in the cancer community. One of my earliest fundraising projects was for Colontown.
I honestly struggled for months about sharing my story and the idea of giving back to the cancer community. I had not reached the type of brokenness that Charles had talked about in his speech. You see, there is a certain amount of embarrassment with being a cancer patient. You don't want to show signs of weakness because it could mean you were giving in to the disease. Having cancer isn't something you want to talk about to others and you just want to hide from it especially for men dealing with cancer. It would be months after I got the status of being NED (No Evidence of Disease) that I would even think to give back to the cancer community.
I remember when I found out that Charles had died from his cancer. It broke my heart. That day I rewatched his speech and realized how selfish I had become. Once again I broke down into tears. Charles had handed me a glow stick and I finally broke it. I knew it had become my time to shine.
I started to share my cancer story, and in the months that followed I did a couple of fundraisers, joined a local 5k to support colon cancer awareness, and became a 'Card Angel' for a group known as 'Chemo Angels'. The members of this group send cards of encouragement to chemotherapy patients.
In Late 2019, Trevor Maxwell reached out to me in Colontown, and my cancer advocacy journey with Man Up To Cancer had begun. I’m currently the lead administrator for 'The Howling Place,’ a men's cancer support group on Facebook. It is a part of The Man Up To Cancer movement. I created this blog to explore how men like myself are turning their cancer diagnosis from survivorship to advocacy. All of the men of The Howling Place applaud their works of service. These are just a few of them, and I will continue to feature more in the coming months. These men are truly “manning up” to cancer.