For the fourth year after losing our son and brother, Adam, to young-onset colon cancer, we are honored to participate in the Jimmy Fund Walk to raise funds to help diagnose and treat this disease. Adam passed away in July of 2021 at the age of 30 after being diagnosed in April.
Adam was teaching middle school social studies in Austin, Texas and looking forward to a full life of sharing his enthusiasm for history with his students when he became ill. He had no warning. His cancer was so advanced by the time of his diagnosis that he never got out of bed again.
While we continue to miss him immensely, Adam's friendliness, easy-going attitude, intelligence, and sense of humor remain a great inspiration to us--and to all who knew him.
By supporting our walk, you can help us raise awareness about the warning signs of young-onset colorectal cancer and support the development of new treatments for the disease that claimed Adam's life way too soon. Colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-mortality worldwide. And in the past 20 years, there has been an alarming and inexplicable increase in its occurrence among younger individuals.
Your contribution directly supports Dr. Nilay Sethi's Gastrointestinal Research Lab (https://sethilab.dana-farber.org) which is focused on translational colorectal cancer research, working to make breakthroughs that will impact lives in positive ways.
Dr. Sethi was one of the Dana-Farber doctors who took care of Adam during his illness and he developed a heartfelt bond with him and our family. See Dr. Sethi's separate fundraising page at the link on the right for a description of his lab's mission, research breakthroughs, and his own memories of Adam.
We couldn't think of a more worthwhile cause to honor Adam's memory.
Thank you for your support,
Joe, Nancy, Alex, and Katherine Opiela
