SOUTHEAST BOISE, Idaho — Idaho2Fly is more than a group of men going fly-fishing. The nonprofit supports, educates and helps men with cancer.
Doug Zamzow remembers the day doctors made a discovery while treating him for a liver abscess.
“Oh, by the way, Doug, you have bladder cancer,” he recalled being told.
Zamzow said he leaned on his background in engineering to cope. “I stayed occupied with fishing and helping other people," he said. "And I tried not to dwell on the cancer."
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Dr. Bob Calhoun, who has been with Idaho2Fly since 2012, said fundraising makes it possible to take men with cancer on fishing trips throughout the year.
“We get feedback all the time from our men with cancer that when I was on the stream, I didn’t think about my cancer,” he said.
Calhoun, who focuses on brain cancer patients, said the benefits are backed by research.
“Yes, that’s in the medical literature. Anything we can do to allow them to relax, calm their nervous system and distract themselves is very important,” Calhoun said.
Idaho2Fly President Steve Grabeck said the group helped him after his own diagnosis. “The first day when I found out, it was a shock. I thought I was clean, and I wasn’t, and I had to go through four treatments. That was a very difficult time,” Grabeck said. “The nurse handed me a brochure for Idaho2Fly and said you need to go here.”
Grabeck encourages men of all ages to get yearly wellness checks. “Make sure you go to a urologist or your regular doctor. Don’t wait—it can creep up on you quickly,” he said.
The group’s “A Reel Hope” fundraiser is planned for the end of October at JUMP in Boise. More information is available on Idaho2Fly’s website.
