- Nancy Ferro"Mama Lou"Nancy Ferro"Mama Lou"
Nancy has over 30 year’s experience as an event planner, marketing director, volunteer coordinator, and small business owner. Her story with cancer began in August 2007, when her oldest son, Michael was diagnosed with Stage I Testicular Cancer. As a mother, she spent her life wanting the best for her children and dreaming that they would be whatever they wanted to be when they grew up. Of course there are the expected bumps and bruises along the way, but never did she imagine what it would be like to fight for her son’s life. In August 2007, Michael felt a lump and at first ignored it. Eventually he agreed to an ultrasound and as he walked out into the waiting room following the procedure it was as if time stood still. Michael’s words “I have cancer and we are not going to cry about it” were words she would never forget. The following two months included two major surgeries and a good prognosis for his future.
During the process there was little thought about the after effects of cancer; in the moment it was simply a matter of survival. As life moved beyond the treatments it became very clear to Nancy that there were very few resources available for support and encouragement of cancer survivors. So, the dream began to provide a resource for individuals like her son who desperately needed an opportunity to embrace life once again. Nancy lives in Arvada, Colorado with her husband Mark. Nancy enjoys the mountains, traveling, horseback riding and her 3 dogs. Michael and his brother and sister live in Colorado as well.
- Amy Wilhelm"Tex"Amy Wilhelm"Tex"
Amy talked her husband Mark into purchasing the 7W Guest Ranch and lodge back in 2002. This purchase allowed her to continue her service work by donating this property to many charities helping them achieve their mission. Epic has been the main beneficiary as being the home from the start to the cancer camps. Her continuous drive to make the world a better place takes most of her time along with her dedication to her family. Amy is mother to her three step children, wife to her husband Mark and has a love for animals. Along with her philanthropic activities, she stays very busy donating her time and money. While spending the winters in South Florida, you will find her most days volunteering at Hospice by the Sea.
Amy’s love to travel keeps her busy and never long in one place. She spends her summers in the Vail Valley. Her winters in South Florida along with visiting family and friends across the country. Amy and Mark can be found most days either hiking, biking, running or doing something active outdoors.Amy Wilhelm was born and raised in Texas. Amy’s ambition was to become a nurse and she worked many different jobs in the Hospital following her desire. Her career as a nurse was derailed when she met Mark her husband and they started working together creating and growing their Logistics business. Amy held many and all jobs at Amware along with starting and running a Trucking company in Dallas servicing a national retailer as their dedicated private fleet.
- Karl White"Moose"Karl White"Moose"
Karl initially found Epic as a Lymphoma survivor when he was looking for ways to give back to the cancer community. After attending a camp in Summer 2016, Karl believed so strongly in the support he received there and Epic’s mission that he jumped at the opportunity to join the board. Karl is very excited about Epic’s future.
Karl has 10 years of Analytic experience and a BA in Math and a MBA in Finance, both from the University of Colorado. Currently he is a Senior Data Analyst at Kaiser Permanente. Karl also has 15 years of board member and Treasure experience at a Denver based Credit Union that specializes in serving the financially under served. In addition, Karl has 15 years of Sales and Management experience.Karl is a Colorado native, but is well traveled. He has been to all 50 states and all 7 continents. He enjoys golf, dinning out, live music and gardening. He and his wife Jolene also love hanging out with and walking their dog Turk.
- Colin Ferro"Wingman"Colin Ferro"Wingman"Colin arrived in Denver, CO in 2004 to attend Regis University for college. During his time at Regis Colin was very involved with a retreat called Kairos. Kairos was very impactful in his life and he wanted to continue to share that with his peers throughout his collegiate experience. During college Colin’s brother was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After being the emotional support and caregiver for Michael during the last two years at Regis University Colin gained more and more affection for the cancer community and wanting to support all survivors however he could.Working at the corporate office for the Red Robin Restaurant Group Colin was in search to find a career full of passion and purpose much like his time in college with Kairos. In 2013 Colin came to work for Epic Experience part time, 6 months later he was full time. Since that time his passion for the organization and the entire cancer community has grown year after year. Colin is passionate about the outdoors and the cancer community, Epic Experience has helped him embrace both of them. He is always excited to share his enthusiasm of Epic Experience with whoever will take the time to listen.
- Louis Chinn"Stud"Louis Chinn"Stud"
Louis is a native Northern Californian and the lucky "winner" of one of the rarest cancers in the world, thymic carcinoma - an aggressive cancer of the thymus gland. Ironically, most of his professional career has been in the business of oncology, partnering with cancer clinics around the country for over 20 years. Indeed, cancer does not discriminate.
He enjoys photography, golf, cycling, working out and traveling around the world.
Finding Epic Experience was truly a blessing for Louis! Spending an active week in the beautiful Colorado mountains with other cancer thrivers, and soon-to-be lifelong friends, while learning how not to be defined by our cancers, has allowed him to lead a positive and active lifestyle. As a member of the Board of Directors, he looks forward to giving back and helping Epic Experience to continue to show others, like him, how to live beyond cancer.
- Sabine Schwab"Bee"Sabine Schwab"Bee"
Sabine attended an Epic Experience camp in May 2016. It was her first time in the beautiful state of Colorado – and she "absolutely fell in love” with the 7W Ranch. She has been back at the ranch as a volunteer every year since.
Upon her return home, Sabine wanted to give back to Epic. She joined the Epic Experience Alumni Team as Camper Outreach Specialist to support Epic in all things "Alumni Relations". She is heading up the team since 2017.
Sabine emigrated from Germany in 2010. She has a PhD in Economics and Social Sciences, and has worked in both - nonprofit and corporate companies.
Sabine is a primary brain tumor survivor of four years, mother to a little girl, avid yogi and rock climber. She loves traveling, cooking and photography as much as volunteering for Epic. Being a strong believer in the healing power of nature and togetherness, Sabine aims to connect other cancer survivors to live up to the quote:
“When “I” is replaced by “We”, Illness becomes Wellness!” (Malcolm X).
- Kelly Corey"Red"Kelly Corey"Red"Kelly was raised in Colorado and is a breast cancer survivor since 2018. She knew early on she wanted to work in the world of oncology to honor her parents who had their own cancer stories. Her profession in the specialty pharmacy industry for Walgreens has allowed her passion become a reality and regards it as a personal mission more than a job. She works with providers, nurse navigators, social workers, and pharmaceutical companies to fill in gaps in patient care. Her profession, along with her past experience as a lead in community engagement, brings us a unique blend of knowledge and insight. Kelly is also an entrepreneur, co-owning a successful business with her husband for 16 years.Upon meeting Nancy, Kelly immediately found common ground with her. After hearing testimonies from campers and visiting the camp she has committed to helping EPIC experience succeed and grow.She and her husband Jim live in Castle Rock with their fur babies, Lillybauer and Kitty. Coming from a tight knit family, they remain close to the kids they raised and their parents. On her down time she loves to travel, read and fly fish.
- David Cohen"Striker"David Cohen"Striker"
David is from New England, growing up in Connecticut and living in Massachusetts for over two decades. He is a survivor of testicular cancer and was introduced to Epic Experience as a winter camper in 2017, where he has said his experience “changed his life.” He has since volunteered at the 7W ranch during the winter of 2019.
David is the CEO of Doc Wayne Youth Services, which is a Boston based award winning non-profit focused on working with youth with mental health challenges and victims of complex trauma through the power of sport. He is a former college soccer player and has been involved in the sport for social change space since 2008 as he is also the founder of Playing It Forward, a non-profit which provides sports equipment to thousands of underserved youth around the world.
David earned his B.S. from Babson College and his MBA from the McCallum Graduate School of Business at Bentley University.
He and his wife, Lauren, have two daughters and two Doodles. He enjoys coaching, traveling and honing his Rummikub skills when he can. His goal is to help the organization grow so that more adult survivors are able to attend camp and experience how “game-changing” Epic Experience can be.
- Jolynn Lenz""Jolynn Lenz""
Jolynn is a native Coloradan and enjoys family and friends, but more importantly values assisting others with solutioning challenges—no matter what those challenges may be. This is a driving force for Jolynn’s personal and professional life along with a desired outcome to both optimize and minimize risk, whenever possible.
Jolynn enjoys trying new things, including cooking (of course, eating too!), participating in local runs (i.e., Bolder Boulder 10k), Orange Theory Fitness, Barry’s Bootcamp, walking, reading, interior design, art, traveling, and studying anything new!
Learning about Epic Experience from her husband’s childhood friend provided her with a new perspective for how adults with Cancer truly needed an experience that goes from surviving to pushing forward with thinking and living in a new way. This includes, but not limited to, understanding these adult survivors fit into society after being diagnosed / living with Cancer. The experiences provided by Epic Experience have inspired Jolynn to not just live a better life, but to actively participate in a way to help with driving desired outcomes and objectives to assist all.
Jolynn has over 25+ years in Human Resources (known as Total Rewards) where she specializes in health, retirement, compensation, systems, workforce planning, transformation, etc. for all size of global reach organizations. As a result, her extensive professional human resources experience translates to helping employees at all levels, which is a direct match for Epic Experience.
- Jacob Morse"Grizz"Jacob Morse"Grizz"
Jacob grew up in Buhl, ID, and moved to Denver, CO for his first job after college. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Sept. 2016 and finished treatment at UCHealth in March 2017, five days after his 24th birthday. He was first introduced to EPIC Experience in April 2017 at CancerCon and attended his first EPIC camp the following summer. The friends that he made and the experiences that he had on the trip have helped him become more connected to the cancer community.
Jacob graduated from University of Notre Dame with a BBA and earned a Master’s of Accountancy at Gonzaga University. He is a licensed CPA in Maryland and Washington and works as a consultant at a public accounting firm.Jacob, his fiancé Shannon, and his black lab, Stoney, live in Tacoma, WA. In his free time, he enjoys taking Stoney on adventures, cooking, watching college sports (Go Irish!), playing video games, and traveling. Jacob loves being a part of EPIC Experience and is excited to help others affected by cancer. - Paul Maroni"Doogie"Paul Maroni"Doogie"
Board Member Emeritus
Dr Paul Maroni was unanimously elected to the Board of Director Emeritus for his founding support of Epic Experience. He has been an urologic and surgical oncologist at the University of Colorado Hospital since 2007. He tries to spend as much time as possible with his wife Nikki and children Samantha and AJ. He is an avid runner, occasional biker, and poor fisherman that believes family and relationships make life worthwhile. He is interested in helping survivors/caregivers overcome the frightening experience of “having cancer” and emerge as stronger, healthier individuals – a core goal of the EPIC experience. He brings organizational, educational, and medical experience to the board of directors.
- Ginny Cutright"Hula Girl"Ginny Cutright"Hula Girl"
Board Member Emeritus
Ginny Cutright is a native of Hawaii where she was born and raised. After attending college in Denver she traded the beaches, oceans and palm trees of the islands for the mountains, snow and pine trees of the Rockies. She settled in Colorado to raise her family. She was a teacher in Jefferson County for many years until adventure called. She spent eight years in NW Montana where she taught school on the Flathead Indian Reservation and owned a pet store with her family. When Montana winters became too long she moved to Northern Arizona where she worked with special needs children and eventually became the director of a school on the Yavapai-Prescott Indian Reservation. She loves the Native American culture and its similarities to that of her Hawaiian family. Ginny has been an avid volunteer throughout her life focusing on animal rescue and children’s charities. She was part of the first crew to man the Adopt-a-Pet program at a Petsmart in Littleton.
In 2011, Ginny retired and returned to Denver to care for her ailing mother. It was “just by chance” that in 2012 she met the Ferro family. An afternoon of volunteering in a small ticket booth with Michael and Mark Ferro turned into something much greater. Ginny contributes to Epic Experience in memory of loved ones who lost their fight against Cancer but also in support of the many courageous fighters who work so hard to move BEYOND Cancer.