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Today’s Craig Melvin is honoring his precocious member Lawrence Meadows successful the astir meaningful mode with his 3rd yearly Bottoms Up Invitational benefiting the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
"Today's" Craig Melvin Dishes connected Super Bowl Halftime Show
Craig Melvin is carrying connected his brother’s legacy.
The Today host and his woman Lindsay Czarniak are hosting the 3rd yearly Bottoms Up Invitational—a two-day lawsuit that benefits the Colorectal Cancer Alliance—on Sept. 15 and 16 successful grant of his precocious member Lawrence Meadows.
During his older brother’s combat with cancer, the 45-year-old became truly progressive successful the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s ngo to rise consciousness and find innovative probe for colorectal cancer—which is the 4th starring origin of cancer-related deaths successful the United States, according to the CDC.
“We did a batch erstwhile helium was live to get much folks screened, to rise wealth for research, to promote folks to conscionable speech to their doctors and speech to their families astir their household history,” helium told E! News successful an exclusive interview. “And past erstwhile it became evident that helium was not going to survive, helium wanted to marque definite that I proceed to enactment wrong my confederation and truly marque this 1 of my life's callings.”
And aft Lawrence—who was diagnosed with late-stage colorectal crab astatine 39—passed successful 2020 aft his years-long combat with the disease, his younger member kept his connection and continued what they started together.
“It's conscionable not a sexy cancer,” Craig continued, “so 1 of the things that we've besides worked to bash is demystify and promote conversations surrounding it.”
But portion his member was the inspiration down the event, it has travel to mean truthful overmuch much to a broader community.
“While it started arsenic a mode to conscionable grant him,” Craig explained to E!, “it truly evolved into this truly chill two-day lawsuit wherever we grant survivors, we grant caregivers, we speech astir cutting borderline research, and we play immoderate play and sing immoderate songs.”
As for what to expect astatine the existent event—which is held successful Connecticut—the NBC News anchor teased, “another large Sunday performance and immoderate truly mediocre play the pursuing morning.”
(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Literacy Partners)
To footwear disconnected the event, determination volition beryllium a ceremonial followed by a performance featuring performers specified arsenic Spin Doctors lead vocalist Chris Barron, members of Hootie & The Blowfish and The Voice’s Ray Boudreaux and Javier Colon and galore more.
Several personage attendees volition past marque their mode to the greenish for the play invitational the pursuing day, including NFL subordinate Sterling Sharpe, ESPN sportscaster Michael Eaves, and chap Today anchors Carson Daly and Willie Geist, among others.
Last year, the lawsuit raised $1.2 cardinal for the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, having raised $1.1 cardinal the twelvemonth before. And though Craig told E! that helium hadn’t planned for the invitational to go an yearly event, helium is enthusiastically gearing up for different twelvemonth of making a quality and redeeming lives.
“It's the 2nd largest one-day full for colorectal crab fundraising successful the state each year,” helium said, “and truthful my member would beryllium arrogant of that.”
Watch E! News weeknights Monday done Thursday astatine 11 p.m., lone connected E!.
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