COLONTOWN is an online community of more than 120 “secret” groups on Facebook for colorectal patients, survivors, and carepartners. There are separate neighborhoods focused on patients with different stages of disease, the differing types of treatment, and special interests – such as CRC clinical trials, young-onset CRC patients, and local support groups. Every neighborhood is nurtured by a Neighborhood Host (or several), themselves living the experience. Check out our current list of neighborhoods!
Newly Diagnosed? Start with our CRC101 Guide in COLONTOWN University.
Meet the Mayor!
Get to know COLONTOWN Mayor Lindsey Musick and learn more about COLONTOWN: Emmy-award winning journalist Christy McDonald interviewed Lindsey as part of a social media series for CRC Awareness Month in March, 2022. Christy was a caregiver for her husband Jamie Samuelsen, who passed away in 2020.
How Do I Join?
Membership is by application only. Fill out the registration form, and look for an email from colontown.org.
Every request is handled personally by our onboarding team of patients and caregivers. Please be patient as we work hard to respond to everyone.
Please read the COLONTOWN Community Guidelines; we ask that all members respect and abide by these.
Newly Diagnosed? Looking for Info?
The patients and caregivers in COLONTOWN have created COLONTOWN University, an online resource to help you understand and manage a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. The University also houses information on clinical trials, diagnostic and surveillance testing, and much more!
If you have questions, or want to talk to others in your situation, please join the COLONTOWN community on Facebook by filling out the registration form.
Support COLONTOWN!
All donations go to the PALTOWN Development Foundation, the nonprofit that provides 100% of the support for COLONTOWN.
Donate today! You can also support our work in other ways: How can I help?
COLONTOWN's Clinical Trials Focus
Learn about Dr. Tom Marsilje, COLONTOWN’s original clinical trials guru, and the Cannonball Award that honors him on the “Our Inspiration” section of the PALTOWN website. Today, COLONTOWN has several neighborhoods where patients and caregivers exchange information about current clinical trials options.
Wear the Love!
Visit the COLONTOWN Logowear Store for hats, shirts, and hoodies with the COLONTOWN logo.
Erika Hanson Brown, Founding Mayor of COLONTOWN
Brown, a Montana native, had a healthy career as a corporate executive search professional until – at age 58 – she was diagnosed with late-stage colorectal cancer. Once her treatment completed, she refocused on the undeveloped niche of disease-specific patient empowerment, founding COLONTOWN on Facebook.
COLONTOWN features online, deeply engaged, experience-specific, secret support groups that are exclusively dedicated to CRC patients and family members.
In 2016, Brown co-founded the PALTOWN Development Foundation to create additional disease-focused communities. COLONTOWN is the model for patient community-building, providing the template for disease communities to follow.