David has a family history of various cancers. In his early 30s he began having blood in his stool and was experiencing pain. He sought medical care, but medical providers dismissed his symptoms as normal occurrences for sexually active gay men. Thankfully, David continued to advocate for himself and fought for a colonoscopy. The colonoscopy showed precancerous polyps that he had removed.
I am one of the fortunate people who avoided a diagnosis; I want this for everyone, but it won’t be possible if we halt research.
He continues to have screenings every five years and has had other polyps removed.
His experience led him to look for awareness and outreach efforts about colorectal and anal cancer in the LGBTQ+ community. He didn’t find much.
This led him to start Cheeky Charity, a queer-led organization with a “cheeky” approach to spreading awareness about colorectal and anal cancer prevention and early detection, especially for the LGBTQ+ and younger communities. Cheeky Charity participates in Pride events, hosts support groups for cancer patients, and facilitates community needs surveys.
Since David started Cheeky Charity, his father was diagnosed with bladder cancer. Despite regular monitoring and treatment, the cancer has continued to recur, requiring new therapies. David knows without continued investment in cancer research, he will eventually run out of treatment options.