In our previous post, Making Sense of ASCO 2015 Findings: Part 1, we began our report on specific studies presented at The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 51st Annual Meeting. How should this information be interpreted? At conferences like ASCO, scientific discoveries are usually presented before publication and without complete peer review...
Read More
What’s ASCO? Why should I care? The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is an organisation representing physicians who specialise in the care and treatment of cancer patients. Approximately 30,000 visitors from around the world gather each year for the ASCO Annual Meeting to discuss recent advancements in the treatment of cancer. Visitors include...
Read More
Any Trekkie (Star Trek Fan) would know this greeting of the Borg that ends with “Resistance Is Futile.” What Does Compliance Mean? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, compliance is “the act or process of doing what you have been asked or ordered to do.” This word is part of the legal, militaristic language of quarantine. In the US, Congress...
Read More
Parent Activism In 1954, Milton and Evelyn Graub learned the devastating news that both their son and daughter, Lee and Kathy, had cystic fibrosis. They reached out to other parents, held their first fundraiser and in 1955, founded what is now the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). The CFF has been instrumental in making this rare disease visible. It has...
Read More
The Wisdom of Youth When he turned 16, Carey Hughley III showed his brand new driver’s license to his sister Alisa. “You’re an organ donor?” she asked. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m not gonna need ‘em when I’m dead,” In high school Carey was part of the swim team that set the NC state record in the 200-meter freestyle relay. ...
Read More
“Years before my heart attack, I freelanced for a hospital that created a note pad with the saying “Thank you for being a ‘patient’ patient.” At the time, I thought it was cute. Now, I realize it isn’t funny! Continuous improvement should be the shared goal in healthcare.” ~Katherine Leon A Look At Patients...
Read More
One Courageous Act “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage,” Anais Nin is quoted as saying. Courage comes to mind when thinking of the actions of a young gentlewoman in Victorian times. Facing the objections of her family and peers, Florence Nightingale wanted to become a nurse. That courage expanded her life and made...
Read More
“I had a terrible headache for two days and very seldom had headache – …once a year tops. I took my kids and Sharon to see [a] movie…and at the end…I got up…collapsed and I do not [know] what happened to me.” ~John Anderson Stroke Stroke is one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Although the number of deaths has gone down...
Read More
Called the “Emperor of All Maladies.” there’s little doubt that a cancer diagnosis throws life completely out of control. Unfortunately, this chaos creates vulnerabilities that can and have been exploited. It is tempting to believe the idea that if you control your thoughts and make them positive, you can control cancer. However...
Read More
“I also know that the sooner I die, the more money my family will have.” ~from the post Why Advocate? by Lori Marx-Rubiner On hearing the word “cancer” from your physician, your first thoughts are naturally on treatment. In fact, your focus should be on treatment. Unfortunately and sometimes tragically, in the US finances need to be a top...
Read More
What’s Wrong With Me? “The therapist thought a ‘nose job’ would improve my self-esteem,” Amanda Greene remembers. He could never have guessed that the suggestion of surgery would finally result in a diagnosis of the cluster of strange symptoms that she was experiencing. At 15, Amanda bruised easily and was constantly tired. “After school,...
Read More
Rheumatoid Arthritis or Rheumatoid Disease Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease. People usually start out having joint pain that is “symmetrical” meaning that if the joint in the ring finger of the right hand hurts, the same joint in the left hand ring finger is painful. Redness, warmth and swelling can occur in the tender joint. Fever,...
Read More
