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About Us

Citrus Colorectal Cancer Foundation

Originally started in June 2021, the Citrus Colorectal Cancer Foundation was made to guide those affected by colorectal cancer to the proper resources. 

Our Story

The Citrus Colorectal Cancer Foundation was originally established in June of 2021, the one-year "cancerversary" of our founder, Karen Fisher. Karen worked with her gastroenterologist, Dr. Trupti Shinde, and her colorectal surgeon, Dr. Parth Patel, to create the foundation.

The main focus of the Citrus Colorectal Cancer Foundation has always been to provide support and resources to colorectal cancer patients, families, and healthcare workers. The original function of our foundation was to be a support group, as we would hold weekly support group meetings in our local library. 

After a few months, our foundation grew to become more than a support group, and began to become a "resource for resources", where we would lead newly diagnosed patients to the right resources to best benefit their treatment. We provide direction to the proper informational resources, where patients and community members can become educated on colorectal cancer; financial resources, where patients can find information about insurance and outside grants to aid in treatment expenses; and emotional resources, where patients can find a helping hand through their treatment journey.

Our foundation still holds regular support group meetings, but we have developed into so much more than that. We now provide countless resources to patients and caregivers, and attend conferences to educate practitioners about proper resources to which their patients could greatly benefit.

Our mission is to get resources into every scoping center in America. We know that getting diagnosed with colorectal cancer can be a whirlwind, as we have been there before. We know the emotional toll of treatment, and we know how alone and bewildered it can make a person feel. It does not have to be this way. We strive to connect every colorectal cancer patient with the proper resources to better aid their treatment.

Meet Our Founders

Click on each founder's picture to see their unique story of how they became inspired to partake in our work.

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