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INFORMATION
IS POWERFUL WEAPON IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER
Patient
Advocacy Momentum Taking Hold Among Baby Boomers
(Kansas City) The
shock of a cancer diagnosis leaves those hearing the news numb and
psychologically powerless, but medical experts say we have the ability to
fight back. That power, they say, lies in the form of information and
advocacy.
Breast
cancer survivor Victoria Sharp learned that the hard way. The 43-year-old
Kansas City
woman initially responded passively to doctors’ orders -- until she
realized she had the power to take control of her own well being.
Today,
some 500,000 cancer patients, like Sharp, are being armed with a unique
new resource to fight cancer and advocate for their return to health. The
newly released guide, Patient Resource: A Cancer Treatment and Facilities Guide for
Patients and Their Families, is making its way
into doctors’ offices around the country and is free to their patients.
The guide is unlike any other information resource available to cancer
patients. It’s considered to be the only single-source,
user-friendly comprehensive treatment guide available to those in need.
“I
truly believe that an informed and educated cancer patient will find a
way to get the best care…..and live better and longer,” says
Patient Resource Medical Editor Charles Balch, M.D.
Balch
says the movement known as “patient advocacy” or
“self-advocacy” traces it roots to the mid 1990’s, and
is largely the result of society’s proactive approach to wellness
and available information on the Internet. Concurrent with this national
movement is the aging Baby Boomer generation. Because cancer is a disease
of aging, 77 percent of new diagnoses are among people 55 and older
– the Baby Boomers.
“The
Baby Boomer generation are the new ‘cancer consumers’ and
they are rewriting the rules of how they enter the medical marketplace.
Much as they have lived the rest of their healthy lives, Boomers are
relying on their considerable intellect, assets and influence to navigate
themselves through cancer treatment,” says Balch.
“We’re seeing a real collaborative effort between patients
and their medical team.”
The
new Patient Resource guide aims to provide a new generation of cancer
patients and their loved ones with information needed to decisively
tackle a cancer diagnosis, including providing a heavy dose of hope and
inspiration through survivor stories. The publication features nearly a
dozen survivor stories from a wide spectrum of cancers, including liver,
lymphoma, breast, brain, childhood cancer and others.
The
guide also features comprehensive directory and contact information for
medical specialists, treatments, clinics, terminology and clinical
trials. It even provides patients with tips for navigating the insurance
maze and explains the importance of second and third opinions.
Patient
Resource Publisher Linette Atwood agrees with Sharp and believes if her
family had been better informed, it might have changed the course of her
husband’s fight with cancer – a battle he eventually lost.
Ultimately,
much of Atwood’s family was ravaged by the disease. In addition to
her husband, cancer claimed the lives of her father and sister. Even
Atwood herself and her mother have battled breast cancer.
“The
impact of the patient advocacy movement can be measured by listening to
survivors like Victoria
or me who have successfully beat cancer back,” says Atwood.
“We know hundreds of these stories, if not thousands, and it
further supports the belief that information is power.”
The
new Patient Resource guide is available to patients at their local
oncology office or cancer clinic nationwide. It can also be ordered
online at www.patientresource.net.
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