As many of you know my wife, Liji, was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer last year at age 40. Although our world was rocked immediately, time and time again we saw the grace of God in everything that happened after her diagnosis. Her strength and resilience in literally the most challenging time of our lives was unbelievable for me to watch. I am so inspired by her determination, her kind eyes and her beautiful smile. Lij bravely entered a clinical trial with a novel immunotherapy combination being actively developed by the company I currently work for (an amazing detail that only God could have "coincidentally" arranged for us), she flew back and forth to NYC for treatment, battled her way through side effects, underwent colon surgery and finally completed three months of chemotherapy in November 2024. She was and is an absolute superstar! I’m so proud of her! She is currently approaching 18 months since her diagnosis with no signs of recurrence! We are continuing active surveillance with her wonderful team at MD Anderson (old colleagues, amazing friends).

As a GI oncologist who treated young onset colon and rectal cancers for years prior, suddenly becoming a caregiver for my own wife was still one of the most challenging things I’ve ever had to do. However, witnessing her immense strength and dedication to fight for herself and her family lit a fire inside of me to do everything I could to support her.

As she runs this 10K, we first and foremost wanted to celebrate what God has done in and through her life and at the same time raise awareness about the rising incidence of colon and rectal cancers in people under the age of 50.

Did you know that colorectal cancer is the now second cause of cancer death in the United States and #1 among adults under age 50?! Please- if your 45 you are due for your screening colonoscopy now --- get it done!!! Or if you're having any unusual symptoms of bleeding, change in your bowel habits or unexplained weight loss talk to your doctor asap!

Considering all of this, please join us in supporting the Colon Cancer Coalition’s mission to reduce barriers to colorectal cancer screening and educate the public about life saving colorectal cancer screening options. By sharing and considering to donate towards our page (no pressure!), you can directly help people that are impacted by colon cancer and help save more lives.

If you take a step towards colorectal screening for yourself (get that colonoscopy!) or share this with your family or friends, it is all worth it! We can make a meaningful difference together!

Thank you for your support!

Benny and Lij

Isaiah 40:4
Isaiah 42:16
Isaiah 45:2