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“I had my surgery in June of 2020, and Karen passed away in September of 2021.”
Darlene Metzler is taking a break from her volunteer shift at the Dartmouth General Hospital gift shop. Sitting in the DGH atrium she shares photographs that tell the story of her health journey and that of her close friend, Karen Rehberg. One photo shows the two of them together, hugging and smiling.
“February is a hard month, because that’s her birthday,” says Darlene.
It’s that photo that Darlene wears around her neck when she participates in the annual Get Up There (GUT) event, which raises funds and awareness to support colorectal cancer screening and prevention. 2026 marks the 18th anniversary for GUT, with participants scheduled to climb the hills of Wentworth on March 6th.
Darlene holds up a picture of last year’s climb, which happened on a beautiful sunny day. In it, she’s wearing a shirt that brought smiles to many of her fellow participants’ faces. It reads “No Colon, Still Rollin’”
Darlene had been living with a disease called ulcerative colitis and was having regular screening. In 2020, at her 10-year follow-up appointment, her physician discovered more than 100 pre-cancerous polyps.
“I was like, oh lovely, I’ve always been an overachiever, but this is one area I did not want to excel in,” says Darlene with a smile.
She was given the choice of waiting to have surgery or doing it right away.
“My colon has hated me, let’s do it now,” says Darlene, reflecting on that decision to have her colon removed and live with an ostomy. “It took time to adjust to the new norm, you have to wrap your head around it, and I’m not going to say I did it naturally and beautifully and immediately. But I’m not searching for a bathroom every day. I’m not worried if it’s changing to colon cancer which I was told it definitely would. I really have my life back.”
Darlene shares a series of photos taken since her surgery, photos that reflect her appreciation of each and every day. Sitting in a hot tub with friends. Walking the streets of New York City on a trip with her husband. Working out at the gym. All with a smile on her face.
Another photo shows her ostomy equipment.
“This is what it takes to do an ostomy bag change, you pop on a new bag and Bob’s your uncle, away you go, it’s amazing,” she says.
Darlene is vice-president of the Dartmouth General Hospital Auxiliary, continuing her long connection with DGH. She worked in administration at the hospital for years, alongside her dear friend Karen.
Not long after Darlene’s surgery, Karen herself received a diagnosis of colorectal cancer. She died six weeks after that diagnosis at the age of 48.
“She was the most positive, epic, kind, generous person that you could ever meet,” says Darlene. “It’s still hard some days. I want to pick up the phone and call or I want to tell her something.”
Darlene plans to once again carry Karen’s photo in the upcoming Get Up There challenge. Funds raised through GUT outfitted a third Endoscopy Suite at Dartmouth General Hospital, used for screening FIT-positive (Fecal Immunochemical Test) patients, effectively eliminating the waiting list for those patients. GUT funds have also supported public education and awareness efforts aimed at encouraging more people to complete and return those FIT tests that show up in their mailbox. A few years back, only about 35 percent of people who received the kit completed it. Now it’s closer to 45 percent. Early detection is the best weapon to fight colorectal cancer.
“My journey started with a choice,” says Darlene. “I was lucky to be screened. Not everyone is that lucky, or they are too young to be screened. If you get the FIT test, you are privileged. Do it.”
Registration is open for Get Up There and Darlene hopes to see many people on that hill on March 6th.
“There’s so much meaning in the day,” she says. “It’s emotional and some moments on the walk are really quiet and you’re just contemplative. But other times there’s so much camaraderie and fun. This event is really making a big difference.”
