This is our fourth year of participating in the Jimmy Fund Walk in memory of our dear friend Adam Opiela, who tragically passed far too soon after being diagnosed with colon cancer in early 2021.
We hope that you'll support our participation in the Jimmy Fund Walk. Our specific cause is to raise awareness about the warning signs and risk factors for young-onset colorectal cancer, as well as fund research into therapies that can help fight the disease that claimed Adam's life.
As many of you experienced firsthand, Adam’s loyalty and kindhearted nature resulted in long-lasting friendships, and we were fortunate to have met Adam early in our lives. Since his passing, we have found comfort looking back on our time growing up together in Medfield. Whether it was riding bikes around the Stagecoach/Lee Road neighborhood, games of driveway basketball, football practice, summer baseball, or video games in the Opiela’s basement, time spent with Adam always resulted in the same thing—countless laughs.
After graduating from Medfield High, we remained close and some of our favorite college memories are the visits we took to see Adam at Trinity College. Following some time back in Medfield and Boston, Adam moved to Austin, Texas, where he helped us experience the city like locals anytime, we visited. We were all so proud to see him thriving at the University of Texas Urban Teachers Program and knew he was going to do incredible work sharing his passion for history with students.
We miss Adam tremendously, and he is never far from our thoughts. We keep his memory alive in ways big and small, constantly remembering his laid-back attitude, fervent love of sports, trademark smile, and ability to make us laugh. The phrase “Adam would love this” is said often in our group text chat. He left an immense impact on all of us, and on everyone who knew him.
While at Dana-Farber, Adam was treated by an amazing team of doctors, including Dr. Nilay Sethi. By making a gift to our walk, you’re directly supporting Dr. Sethi's Gastrointestinal Research Lab (https://sethilab.dana-farber.org), which is focused on translational colorectal cancer research.
Colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and in the last twenty years, there has been an alarming increase in diagnoses among younger individuals. The work done by Sethi Lab is critical to the advancement of next-generation colorectal cancer prevention, treatment, and patient care. Additionally, Sethi Lab is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of physicians and scientists conducting this life-saving work.
We believe in Sethi Lab’s ability to combat this disease, and we couldn’t think of a more worthwhile cause to honor Adam's memory.
Thank you for your support,
Matt Calivas, Mike Hayes, Ben Haycock, Jay Fischer, Eric Boole
