Annual walk for colorectal cancer takes place June 7

Old Kildonan

Maybe not every person is comfortable talking about what goes on in the bathroom, but Deb Tycholiz — a cancer survivor and local advocate — is encouraging people to talk about their poop.

It’s the 30^th year for the national annual Push for Your Tush Walk to raise awareness and funds for colorectal cancer research, and the fifth walk in Winnipeg. The walk is scheduled for Sunday, June 7, at Kildonan Park at the north shelter.

There’ll be munchies, a DJ, facepainting, a trainer hyping everyone up before hand, and then participants have the option of walking or running five or 10 kilometres.

“It’s just a lot of fun, I like to make people laugh,” Tycholiz said. “So, when I do my opening spiel, I talk about it. I talk about poop and what we’re here for. For a walk that is so serious, we like to make it fun so people will remember it.”

Tycholiz was diagnosed with colon cancer in August 2021 and had her surgery to remove the cancer a month later.

“I’m doing it to bring awareness because people don’t want to talk about their poop at all, they say, ‘oh it’s gross, it’s this or that,’ and everyone’s embarrassed by it, but they shouldn’t be,” Tycholiz said.

Before her diagnosis, she and her sister had walked for diabetic research and Tycholiz had participated in several marathons — so the summer after her surgery, she began looking for walks.

“(My sister and I) raised probably over $40,000 doing that, and I just thought, if I could do that doing a walk on my own with her, how much more can I do bringing it here to the community with colon cancer,” Tycholiz said.

Her goal is that no one else dies from cancer, she said. The first walk she organized was just her and her family. Last year, she estimated that about 200 people participated.

“Everyone says, ‘oh a colonoscopy is horrible. I don’t want to go through that.’ You know what’s worse? Going through the surgery, having half your colon removed, maybe having a bag put on, going through chemotherapy and radiation. A colonoscopy is the easy thing to do. Get it done. Get checked,” she said.

“So, if I share my story and get people screening early, then I’ve done my job.”

This year’s walk will feature a silent auction to help raise money for Colorectal Cancer Canada and coffee provided by Colosimo Coffee. Registration begins at 9 a.m. and the walk/run begins at 10.

For more information, to sign up for the walk, or support Tycholiz, visit pushforyourtush.ca