Resilience and action.
Those two words are just a few that mean something to Pamela Allen, 63, of Elberton, Georgia.
A survivor of colorectal cancer, Allen isn’t content simply basking in clean scans and enjoying a
healthy life. Instead, she uses her experience to build colorectal cancer awareness, everywhere
from her own backyard to Washington, D.C.
“Whatever I can do to help raise awareness, to get the word out to save lives, that’s what I’m
trying to do,” Allen says. “I realized that if it had not been for God, and had it not been for good
doctors, especially the great team at University Cancer & Blood Center, I don’t think I would be
here today.”
In 2012 at age 50, Allen’s health insurance provider required she have a precautionary
colonoscopy. Not only had she never heard of the procedure, she was completely unaware of
the disease of colorectal cancer.
The findings of the colonoscopy concerned her physician, and the polyp biopsy that followed
revealed a diagnosis of stage 3 colorectal cancer.
Allen says the results were shocking, because she hadn’t noticed anything that seemed
abnormal to her. Once she began learning about the disease online and how it presents itself,
she realized some symptoms had in fact materialized. This was Allen’s first glimpse at the
importance of colorectal cancer awareness.
Yet diving into the internet also stoked her fears. “I was reading about life expectancies, and all
of these things that were going to happen,” she says. “I was thinking I was going to lose my hair,
I was going to lose weight, I was going to have all of this discomfort, and I was just terrified.”
She shared those fears with the now-retired Dr. Neal Marrano of University Cancer & Blood
Center, who oversaw Allen’s treatment plan. Although she would face 12 rounds of
chemotherapy, Allen says Dr. Marrano provided just the support she needed.
“After some initial testing and looking over my reports, he said, ‘Ms. Allen, you’ll be fine. And I’m
going to be with you throughout this journey’,” she recalls. “That instantly calmed me, and I felt
so much better.”
Dr. Marrano’s assessment proved correct. Tests eventually showed her medical team that
Allen’s disease had gone into remission. Her work, however, wasn’t done.
“When I was diagnosed, the first thing I did was I asked God, ‘Why me?’,” she recalls. The
answer she says she received in her heart was, “Why not you?” At that point, Allen realized she
had a mission.
She says she recognized her previous lack of knowledge about colorectal cancer wasn’t unique,
and with a bit of research she learned cancer had occurred throughout her family tree, more
frequently than she had known. So Allen began organizing annual colorectal cancer survivor
luncheons in the basement of New Era Baptist Church in Elberton to help boost awareness
among her community.
Held each March to coincide with Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Allen dubbed it the Blue
Banquet, a nod to the official color of colorectal cancer awareness, which symbolizes strength.
The event has become an inspirational gathering where the public, including patients and their
families, can learn about and discuss all aspects of the disease, empowering themselves with
knowledge.
What began with approximately 30 attendees has now more than quadrupled in size, requiring
Allen to change event venues multiple times. This year it takes place March 15 at Elberton Civic
Center.
University Cancer & Blood Center providers often appear at the Blue Banquet, sharing
information and insight with attendees, touching on topics ranging from colonoscopies to
genetics. Allen and her group of event volunteers organize a special pin ceremony, where they
present blue ribbons to colorectal cancer survivors and blue stars to caregivers. The latter
includes family members and friends who have provided steadfast support to loved ones facing
colorectal cancer.
The event raises funds for local colorectal cancer patient support, which includes assistance
with transportation to medical appointments, acquiring medicine and items not covered by
insurance, and more. Allen and her team also use the funds to create patient care packages
with contents such as socks, lotions, soaps, and other things to help ease the burden of
someone’s colorectal cancer experience.
Thanks to Allen, the color blue dominates Elberton each March. Blue-tinged signs hang
throughout the city, proclaiming colorectal cancer awareness. On Friday, March 6, Allen will
make sure locals remember it is National Dress in Blue Day. An event on the public square will
feature guest speakers, a colorectal cancerdisplay, and line dancing to promote exercise as a
preventative measure.
On Saturday, March 7, countless blue flags will be planted in Elberton’s public square
representing the more than 27,000 people under the age of 50 that a study estimates will be
diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2030.
Allen’s mission keeps going year round, including her monthly Elbert County Colorectal Cancer
Support Group, which takes place at the Elberton Public Library. The doors are open to
patients, their family members, and caregivers who experience all types of cancer.
Her efforts, however, aren’t confined to Elberton. As an ambassador for the national nonprofit
Fight Colorectal Cancer, she will visit Washington, D.C. March 1-3 to share her story before
Congress and participate in a flag-planting ceremony on the National Mall. She will urge
lawmakers to protect critical cancer research funding, emphasizing the potential lives at stake.
These types of conversations, she says, are crucial. In her opinion, the lack of colorectal
awareness stems from various factors, including the lack of transparency among families with a
history of the disease and public skepticism of medical professionals.
“For so long, we as African-Americans have often had a lack of trust in doctors, because of
experiences from the past,” she says. “But I tell people they need to take control of their lives by
talking to their doctors about the problems they’re having, getting screened, and sharing their
medical history among their families. Keeping secrets can kill.”
Today, Allen remains proactive regarding her own colorectal health. After Dr. Murano retired, she continued visiting University Cancer & Blood Center and became a patient of Dr. Jeffrey Thomas, who she refers to as “the best.” He and members of the staff are easily accessible at all times, she says. And they’re happy to report that 14 years after her initial diagnosis, Allen is currently cancer free with no evidence of the disease.
“University Cancer & Blood Center continues to be a Godsend,” she says. “It truly is a place of hope, and they saved my life.”
