My Story

My name is Christopher Joe Greene. I am a 42-year-old father and provider of 3 beautiful children (My oldest is not pictured). In April 2021 at the age of 40, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Colon Cancer. I underwent emergency surgery and completed 6 months of Chemotherapy which ended on November 11, 2021. The completion of my treatment does not end my continuous journey of follow-up care with my cancer specialist or my determination of being a survivor. I share my experiences throughout my community and other avenues such as social media or in-person discussions to start conversations, and awareness and promote preventative care and early screening.

 

 I went through years of knowing something was not right in the way my body was functioning but was unaware of symptoms of colon cancer. My cancer was diagnosed when I underwent having a colonoscopy. Even scheduling this procedure barriers were in place with being uninsured and fear of the unknown surrounding the why and actual process involved in having a colonoscopy.

 

Because of these issue and other barriers, I initiated and implemented means to bring awareness of early screening and detection of abnormalities and/or colon cancer through having a colonoscopy. I am the founder of Joe Greene’s Foundation. My commitment to my community is to create formats, conversations and/or events for opportunities to uplift the educational impact and awareness that early screening saves lives. My commitment to my community is to share real-time lived experiences and knowledge such as going through Chemotherapy and preventative actions. I am committed to symptom education, early screening, self -advocacy, sharing family history, eliminating fears and addressing other social determinants which are factors associated with racial inequities in accessing quality healthcare for people of color.