Men’s Cancer Retreat Draws 200 Attendees, Defies Stereotypes

Male cancer patients and survivors from across North America will converge in Pennsylvania for the third annual Gathering of Wolves retreat

EAST STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES, August 29, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ — Cancer’s lovable bad boys are at it again, hosting the largest men’s cancer retreat ever assembled.

Man Up to Cancer, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping men impacted by cancer, will host about 200 men at its third annual Gathering of Wolves retreat Sept. 5-8. The event will be held at Pocono Springs Camp in East Stroudsburg, Pa., in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains.

Attendees are traveling to the retreat from across North America and as far away as Belgium. Event planners are kicking things up a notch this year, adding axe throwing, tethered hot air balloon rides, and a live chainsaw ice carving of a wolf, the organization’s symbol.

“Just because we’re going through cancer doesn’t mean we can’t have fun,” said Man Up to Cancer founder Trevor Maxwell, a stage IV cancer survivor from Maine. “Our goals for this year’s retreat are to foster deep bonds and conversations amongst the guys, and to provide an unforgettable experience at the same time.”

The retreat — combining fun, food, relaxation, campfires, storytelling, and brotherhood — has grown from 55 attendees in the inaugural year of 2022. With a membership of about 3,000 men from all ages and backgrounds, Man Up to Cancer offers retreats, peer-to-peer support, a chemo care backpack program, and more than 40 local chapters.

Thanks to sponsors and individual donations, the retreat is free for attendees. More than 20 attendees who needed travel assistance received funding from the Scott Johnson Memorial Fund, in partnership with the Johnson family of Berlin, Conn. The fund is named in honor of Scott Johnson, a family man, firefighter, and U.S. Coast Guard veteran who passed away from cancer in 2017. Travel funding was also provided by donations made in memory of Lee Silverstein of Tampa Bay, Fla., a beloved member of Man Up to Cancer who died in February after living with cancer for more than 12 years.

The lead planner for the Gathering of Wolves is stage IV cancer survivor Jay Abramovitch of South Mountain, Ontario, Canada. Corporate sponsors for the event are Sanofi, Pfizer, Natera, Guardant Health, Bayer, Daiichi-Sankyo, and Servier. Non-profit sponsors are Fight Colorectal Cancer, Colon Cancer Coalition, and the American Association for Cancer Research.

“When faced with cancer, women tend to reach out, and men tend to check out. This leads to mental health problems, strained relationships, and poor medical outcomes,” said cancer survivor Michael Holtz of Knoxville, Tenn. Holtz serves as a board member and director of fundraising and partnerships for Man Up to Cancer.

“It’s time for a new path,” Holtz said. “We are changing what it means to ‘Man Up.’ It’s not just about being tough. It means having the courage to accept help, and knowing we are smarter and stronger as a pack than we are as lone wolves.”

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Trevor Maxwell
Man Up to Cancer
+1 207-286-4431
[email protected]

Man Up to Cancer’s Gathering of Wolves Retreat

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