Bottom Line

A candid and delightful discussion with two pioneers who are shaping the awareness of anal and colorectal cancer in the LGBTQ+ community.

What do an entrepreneur and a stand-up comic have in common? A desire to raise awareness for the LGBTQ+ community about anal and colorectal cancers. David founded Cheeky Charity following his own health scare with colorectal cancer in 2021. Daniel has been HIV positive for fourteen years and was engaged in advocacy when he was diagnosed with anal cancer.

The two began collaborating only a year ago, providing special sensitivity to mental health issues. Their approach is to educate, entertain, and inspire. With an awareness of cancer's psychological, physical, and spiritual effects, Cheeky Charity combines humor with education, creating a unique and effective strategy.

Talking about cancer at Pride events across the country, Cheeky Charity strives to keep the community healthy by addressing the risks openly. With ease of conversation that encourages people to lower their guard, they convey their message through excellent website design and honest dialogue.

Stigma is a struggle. Unapologetically irreverent, Cheeky Charity fosters an environment that promotes prevention through awareness and early detection. Their myth-busting, empowering message of support is straightforward: Love your body. Love yourself. Recognize your risk. Get screened.

Cheeky Charity https://www.cheekycharity.org/

Christian and Daniel Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weUpUE7ZDGU

Today, gender care is fluid, but in 2012, in the early days of ANCHOR, it took the NY Times and a brave Boston gynecologist to shift the direction of focus of anal cancer prevention.

On the other coast, a self-described radical feminist was told that “the anus is just like the cervix,” and a historical career began.

In this podcast, Drs. Beth Stier and Naomi Jay discuss how they collaborated to build consensus from a large group with diverse expertise to create the first Consensus Guidelines for Anal Cancer Screening (2024). This project is changing the course of anal cancer screening.

Looking toward the future, the next big step will involve an Implementation task force.

“No one is willing to wait another seventeen years for the changes to occur.” The speakers’ challenge, “Get involved. There’s so much work to be done.”

Anal Cancer Foundation - Passion, Determination & Love: A Conversation with Justine & Camille Almada

For Justine, Camille, and Tristian Almada anal cancer is personal. After losing their dear mother, Paulette, to Stage IV HPV-related anal cancer in 2010, the siblings set out to change the course of this disease. In her honor, they created what they wished had been available to them, The Anal Cancer Foundation. For over a decade, their work has improved awareness as they advocate for policies that help eradicate the disease and educate about the importance of early detection and HPV vaccination uptake. In this interview, the two sisters describe not only their frustration with the lack of research and treatment options when their mother was diagnosed but also their vision that provides peer support and contributes to long-overdue research. In this moving and inspiring interview Camille a nurse practitioner in oncology expresses her hopes to cast a wider to all HPV – related cancers. With the message “You are not alone,” Justine discusses the victories that have changed the face and experience of anal cancer, offering hope to thrivers whose lives are made better by the Anal Cancer Foundation’s gallant vision.

Camille’s expressed views are her own and do not reflect those of her employer, Mount Sinai Health System.

The Anal Cancer Foundation was a strong financial support for the establishment of IANS.