Want to join COLONTOWN?

Ready to become part of our wildly supportive colorectal cancer community in COLONTOWN? Fill out the form below, then check your email for next steps on connecting with a member of our onboarding team. They will add you to our “DOWNTOWN” group and other neighborhood groups based on your needs and interests.

Membership is free and open to colorectal cancer patients, survivors, and carepartners (includes both colon cancer and rectal cancer). Simply join to gain full access to our community. Each of our neighborhoods is a private online support group designed to create a safe space for you to “find your people!”

If you are already a COLONTOWN member and are having trouble accessing our community, please email [email protected]

Community Guidelines

Everyone in COLONTOWN is living with the immense stress and disorientation of colorectal cancer. COLONTOWN exists to provide a private, supportive place to connect with other patients and carepartners, and to exchange information about colorectal cancer. With this in mind, we have created some guidelines to ensure that COLONTOWN remains a supportive, welcoming, and respectful community. We ask all members to read and abide by these guidelines.

1. Politics or religion

In COLONTOWN most of our neighborhoods prohibit discussion of and references to politics and religion. This includes unsolicited private messages regarding these topics. For spiritual conversations and prayer, join one of the SPIRTUAL CENTER neighborhoods.

2. Supportive communication

Posts should be supportive and/or useful to the community as a whole. Negative posts about COLONTOWN in other support communities or social media will be noted and may revoke membership in CT.

3. Hate speech or bullying

Personal attacks will not be tolerated; COLONTOWN members who perpetrate attacks on others will be removed from the community.

4. Solicitation or fundraising

Solicitation of any kind is prohibited in COLONTOWN neighborhoods and via private message to members. This includes links to outside fundraisers, product sales, self promotion, social media reach, volunteer recruitment for events (unless an approved partnership) and any solicitation of data for research or informational purposes to be used outside of COLONTOWN.

Fundraisers benefiting PALTOWN/COLONTOWN

Fundraisers that directly benefit PALTOWN or COLONTOWN may be posted with prior Cabinet approval. This ensures proper branding and support if there are technical needs, etc.
Once approved, they may be shared in the appropriate neighborhoods as directed by the Cabinet.

Outside fundraisers are not allowed

For profit fundraisers are not permitted anywhere in COLONTOWN.
Fundraisers that benefit individuals, businesses, or outside organizations are not allowed, even when well intentioned.

In‑Person Meetups

Posts about participating in events are welcome when they are framed as opportunities for connection (e.g., sharing that you will be attending an event in a specific city and inviting others to meet up). However, sharing links or content intended to solicit donations or financial support is not permitted.

If you are unsure whether your event or fundraiser meets these guidelines, please contact the Cabinet at [email protected].

5. External social media

Members may share links to personal blogs, YouTube channels, or social media accounts for the purpose of providing personal health updates, provided all content adheres to COLONTOWN community guidelines. Please note that external sources linked by members may not be monitored for scientific accuracy. If shared content violates COLONTOWN guidelines, the post may be removed and community membership may be revoked. Links to reputable medical or scientific organizations are welcome when they contribute meaningful value to COLONTOWN discussions. All shared content must comply with community guidelines. This policy does not override existing rules regarding solicitation and fundraising (ex: please do not post a GoFundMe, or any personal or outside organization fundraiser).

6. Complimentary and alternative medicine guidelines

We do not permit posts and comments about “alternative medicine” or “miracle” cures that are used instead of standard-of-care medical treatments. Posts and comments about complementary and integrative medicine must clearly identify the basis for claims about safety and efficacy. More guidance can be found attached in the separate CAM document here: https://community.colontown.org/topics/44859/media_center/file/7923c369-0826-45e9-8ae9-9ab05536e331

7. Respect everyone’s privacy

COLONTOWN offers a confidential space for discussions. Do not share any info outside COLONTOWN. Direct others to the original source (NCT #, journal, etc.) or contact admins when needed. Our non-disclosure policy applies within and beyond COLONTOWN, prohibiting the sharing of posts, screenshots, internal or external surveys, or any group information. We are dedicated to providing educational resources for all members. You can share our educational content from COLONTOWN University at learn.colontown.org

8. AI usage

While AI is becoming extremely popular and helpful please be mindful that it does not replace your medical team. All recommendations, translations, and summaries via AI tools should still be discussed with your medical provider(s) to determine their legitimacy, accuracy, and applicability to your situation.

Content that goes against these guidelines will be removed, frequent guideline violations may lead to community suspension.