Colon Cancer, 8 Years of Survival

On November 29th, 2002, I awoke with the anticipation of doing some "Black Friday" Christmas shopping.  However the day turned quickly south as deep, sharp pain in my abdomen affecting my ability to function.  With the Mount Carmel-Northwestern Lehigh game later that Friday night, I decided to go home and lie down.

Making a long story short, I made my way to a doctor on the following Tuesday.  On Friday, December 6th, I had a plum-sized tumor removed along with a few feet of colon.  From pain to the operating table was 7 days.  I was only 36 years old.  There was no family history, no prior symptoms.

In my little neck of Penn's Woods, I had great medical care from nurses, doctors, to surgeon's expertise.  I didn't have to the insurance battle like so many other cancer patients who are "out of the norm."  I was one of the 10% diagnosed with colon cancer under 50.  You can say I hit the lottery in reverse.

The disease did have it's blessings, though.  I did get to meet and work with many people to realize colon cancer screening being covered by insurance in Pennsylvania.  I also got to meet fellow survivors that were on the same boat as me, young and scared.

If you are approaching age 50, please talk to your doctor about screening.  If you have a family history of colon cancer and other digestive tract conditions, please talk to your doctor.

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

Colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. It is also one of the most preventable. It ranks second in cancer deaths in the United States.

90% of colon cancer diagnoses happen in people aged 50 and over. The American Cancer Society recommends that screening for the disease should start at age 50 and over. If you have a history of the disease in your family. please consult your family physician.

Medical insurance companies in PA have to cover the cost of screening as long as you fall into the guidelines put forth by the American Cancer Society.

Colonothon Set For September 28th

Here is a group of volunteers saving lives.

The signing of HB1150 in Pennsylvania

At 11:30 on July 9th 2008, Pennsylvania took a big step forward for the rights of families with autism and the 8000 people who are diagnosed with colon cancer in Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell signed HB1150 into law.



Pictured above at yesterday's signing with Governor Rendell is Janet Bilger, co-chair of the Central Susquehanna Valley Colon Cancer Task Force. The task force has spent the last four years lobbying many members of the General Assembly to pass SB146 or HB972 for colorectal screening.



After the May Senate Hearing on SB146 and a conversation with Senator Don White head of the banking and insurance subcommittee, most thought colorectal screening would be pushed back to the January 2009 session. Pennsylvania has not passed an insurance mandate in over 10 years and once referred to the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council where mandates go to die.



Senator Robert Tomlinson attached most of SB146 to HB1150. Tomlison was the original sponsor of SB146. The exception being the group plans with 50 members or less were excluded from the mandate. This was a concession to Senator White to protect small business.



In the end it was House Speaker O'Brien, prime sponsor of HB1150, coming together with Tomlinson with some concession by White and to White.

Remembering Becca

A person I met from the Colon Club passed away from colon cancer at 1:30 this morning. She was from Mechanicsburg, PA. She was diagnosed with StageIV colon cancer soon after she gave birth over three years ago and spent her entire time as a mother fighting colon cancer.

Becca's Blog

Here are the things Becca wanted to do before she moved on:

In no particular order......

1. I want to own my own home.

2. I want to take a trip to Greece.
3. I want to ride a mechanical bull.(No snickering please!)
4. I want to turn 40.
5. I want to take a trip to Alaska.
6. I want to watch my daughter graduate from High School.
7. I want to got back to work. I really miss my job!
8. Though highly unlikely, I would love to have another baby.
9. I want to get a new tattoo to cover the one on my ankle.
10. I want to need a haircut. I had nice hair & I miss it, damn it!
11.I want to see the look on my daughter's face the first time she sees Mickey Mouse in person. (6 weeks & counting!! I can't WAIT!)
12. I want to make sure that every one of my friends & family know exactly how much I love them... really, really love them. (Even if they happen to be a deadbeat with no job.)
13. I want to understand why I got cancer.
14. I want to live long enough to see a cure for cancer.
15. I want to watch my husband graduate from college & become a teacher.
16. I want to fly First Class.
17. I want to kiss my grand babies.
18. I want to take a helicopter into the Grand Canyon.
19. I want to take my daughter to Niagara falls & ride the Maid of the Mist one more time.
20. I want to have stupid fights with my teenage daughter 'cuz we both have PMS.
21. I want to tell my grandchildren what a pain in the ass their mother was when she was a teenager.
22. I want to send my husband on a dream golf vacation because he deserves it, damn it!
23. I want to make sure that my sister-in-law knows what a truly cool sister, Aunt, & God Mother she is.
24. "I'd like to thank the Academy..." (Sorry, had to do it!)
25. I want to make sure that Jen knows that even though she lives so far away I can feel the love & support flowin' to the lower 48!
26. I want to make sure that Tom & Paul know how much I appreciate their love & support even though I don't get over much right now 'cuz I've been feeling so crappy. (And I know how much they LOVE living in PA!)
27. Although I am deathly afraid of heights, I'd really like to ride in a hot air balloon!
28. I want to take a trip to Banff.
29. I've always thought about writing a children's book. Maybe I should just give it a try.
30. I want to see a jazz concert @ Lincoln Center.
31. I want to see Mt. Rushmore.
32. I want to read Tuesday's With Morrie because I'm probably the only person on earth who hasn't read it yet.
33. I want to read The Secret Garden, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, & Jane Eyre to my daughter just like my mother read them to me.
34. I want to go back to LA & do all the tacky touristy crap that I didn't get to do the last 2 times that I went. Oh yes, I WILL buy a star map...
35. I want to swim in the Gulf of Mexico.
36. I want to go to the San Diego Zoo.
37. I want to learn to ride a horse.
38. I want to see San Fransisco.
39. I want to have lunch with this lady, 'cuz she ROCKS!
40. I want Ty Pennington & his crew to come & fix my mom & dad's house even they make me crazy. They deserve it.
41. I want to watch this over & over again because it's freakin' HILARIOUS! I think I've seen it 20 times & it still gets me!
42. I want to take a carriage ride through Central Park & have dinner at Tavern on the Green.
43. I want to eat sushi in Tokyo.
44. I'd like my steroids to wear off so I can got the hell to bed. I'm really rather tired!

Livestrong Day May 13th

PHOTO by Matt Freed courtesy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tomorrow is Livestrong Day sponsored by the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Click on either link to find out if there is an event near you. The main goal of the foundation to make cancer a national priority.

Tomorrow, I will be in Harrisburg at the Capitol. There is a hearing on SB146(Colon Cancer Screening.)

SB 146 by Senator Tomlinson. Amends the Insurance Company Law, mandating health insurance coverage for colorectal cancer screening. Senate Banking & Insurance Committee.

Hearing set for 10:00 a.m., Room 8E-A East Wing.

Dr. Sam Monismith and Dr. Ron Myers will testify.

On January 31st, 2007 the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee released their report. Meanwhile, the PA Healthcare Cost Containment Council released their findings to counter the above report in January 2008.

On May 13th, keep a person or family fighting cancer in your thoughts and prayers. To John and his family, I offer my condolences and prayers.

Read the story of John Challis (pictured above) about courage from Western Pennsylvania.

Fighting Colon Cancer with WNEP 16

Check out the Voice with friends fighting Colon Cancer with Joe Snedeker!!!!!

Cancer Treatment Getting More Expensive

Get the straight talk on cancer expenses rising in the coming years.

The Coal Region Voice will be at the following:

3/27

Go to WNEP and check the 6 am forecast.

3/28

Celebrate Life--Stories of Hope from Survivors of Colon Cancer Photos and stories from colon cancer survivors and their families will be on display in the Boscov Court area of the Susquehanna Valley Mall from March 26 through April 9.On Friday, March 28, from 4-8pm, a community outreach event will be added to the display.

This will consist of information from cancer centers, health care facilities, community organizations, survivors, local physicians, and other appropriate sources regarding colorectal cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and advocacy. At 6:00pm on March 28, a Community Reception will be held with light refreshments.

A formal Colorectal Cancer Awareness presentation will be on Tuesday, April 1 from 6:30-7:30pm in the mall Community Room

A Christmas Wish from a Colon Cancer Patient

I read in today's entertainment section of the News-Item, more commonly known as Soundoff about a woman's Christmas Wish. The woman in her 60's suffers from colon cancer and here is her wish:

All I want ...

"This is about Christmas. My family all asked me what I want for Christmas. I am a 60-some-year-old woman diagnosed with colon cancer and liver cancer who is going through chemotherapy and going through radiation treatments. All I have is a neighbor who picks on me and my family constantly and makes false reports to the police. All I want for Christmas is for this man to leave us alone and that everybody would find out that Christmas is about Christ, loving one another and getting along, and families loving one another. This might be my last Christmas. Frog’s take: God bless you and your family, caller."

Click here for the whole link.

If you need to find true meaning the holiday season, read some of Kathy's Story.

A Day of Thanks!

Today marks an important milestone for me. It has nothing to do with birthdays or other joyous events. November 29, 2007 marks five years since I first displayed signs of colon cancer. I like to mark my cancer anniversary on this date. I was one of those cases without any symptoms. I went from not a worry in the world in the world on Thanksgiving Day on the November 28th to colon resection surgery just eight days later on December 6th. Biopsy results were given to me Friday, December 21st......Merry Christmas!!! Finally, on December 31st, 2002 I was diagnosed of having Stage IIa colon cancer at age 36..........Happy New Year!!!! Pick my anniversary, I could use anyone of them.

Everything happened very fast. I went from your normal 36-year old with a wife and two sons aged 3 and 1 to cancer survivor. At the time of my staging, chemotherapy was presented to me as an option. My regimen would consist of 5FU and Leukavorin and physically I should be able to handle it. My doctor indicated that I was young and the chemo would give me a stronger chance at survival. My age was a definite factor in accepting the treatment. Twenty-four treatments later and I was finished with chemo in August of 2003.

THE PAST FOUR YEARS

I found out from the very beginning that each cancer case is unique onto the person and family it has afflicted. Like many of the survivors I have met and spoke to, we had some of the same feelings. More of the common ones were anxiety at the end of treatment, worrying over ever pain and the thought of recurrence.

Undergoing chemotherapy gave me a dry-eye condition that I have to this day. Through a strange twist, it led me to email the mother of a younger survivor who I read about in my local newspaper. I had asked if she knew of anyone with the severe dry-eye through chemo. I was the first to have this at my treatment center. One thing led to another and today we co-chair a colon cancer advocacy group in central PA. I also met some fine people at the Colonclub.

Our advocacy group stresses education on colon cancer to the general public. We also advocate for the Pennsylvania Legislature to pass SB146 or HB972. These bills would mandate insurance companies cover the cost of colon cancer screenings according to American Cancer Society guidelines.

EVERYDAY

Life has returned to about 98% of normal. I have the scars and we could all use some more energy. Maybe hitting 40 has something to do with it. One thing I try not to do is take everything for granted. The good times are even better and the bad times are not so bad at all. As the high school football season is coming to a close in a few weeks there will officially be four champions. Win or lose enjoy your trip there, your teammates, and your family and community support. These will probably be the things you remember most. They will last a lifetime.

Relay for Life Weekend

This past weekend I devoted part of my Friday and Saturday making people aware of advocacy for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network. I thought the attendance at the Shamokin Relay was a little down, but the Relay received tremendous financially support reaching their goal.

It was actually great to see another Relay in Selinsgrove, PA held at Susquehanna University. I actually got to see Congressman Chris Carney since his debate with Don Sherwood before the November Election.

Becca's Story

In case anyone forgot why we do Relay for Life, here is a good fighter's story. It is the story of Rebecca Babcock, a youthful 20-something, who should be free to enjoy all the aspects of life that come with her education and youth. However, colon cancer has provided her with some roadblocks. Here is the direct link to Becca's Blog.

This past weekend, Becca was in upstate New York preparing to be a model in the 2008 Colondar. A project brought about by Molly McMaster inspired by Erika Kratzer to bring awareness to the masses of young people under 50 years old that suffer from colon cancer.

With the permission of Becca, I have cross-posted some of her blog. Her story gives a tremendous insight of young people who suffer from cancer in general and trying to keep it all in perspective.

Monday, April 30, 2007

Defeated
I think for the most part I've tried to refrain from posting on here when I'm really angry or upset about something.I figure then it'll just sound like me whining. And even though my nickname as a child used to be "Becca-Whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnneeerrrrrrr", I really hate whining.When I do it, I hate the sound of it coming out of my mouth. So I've attempted to not come on here and gripe like it's my fourth grade journal.But I'm just in about the foulest mood you could ever imagine right now. There isn't much else to do BUT whine in this instance.Here's the scenario. I don't have health insurance. I had COBRA insurance from my former employer before getting diagnosed. It was crappy crappy coverage, but it was still coverage. However, COBRA ran out in February (coincidently just about when I finished chemotherapy. although that didn't really matter much b/c the COBRA benefits had been maxed out for months prior to that).I cannot NOT have insurance. I need follow up PETscans and Upper Endoscopies pretty much indefinitely. So it was imperative I get insurance. I can't get it through my current employer b/c I am parttime, they are non-profit, etc etc.So I hear about this program through the state of Illinois called ICHIP (Illinois Comprehensive Health Insurance Program). If you're approved, you can get covered, with no pre-existing condition, etc etc.I applied, and got approved. Great news right? All worries solved for now?HA.The premium is $425ish a month. A MONTH?!? I can BARELY make $350 a month for rent, let alone regular utility bills, cell phone bill, and we're not even looking in the direction of my more than $40,000 in student loans. Nor am I even thinking about the way more than $125,000 still remaining in medical/surgical/treatment bills.I just don't get it. I truly just can't see a solution. I do not have this amount of money. I do not have the option for making anywhere near enough at my current job. I am struggling to find a second job, or just a whole new job all together, due to the demands and constraints of this new plumbing system I had installed. I can't seem to be able to work a normal 8 hour shift with regularity. I'm lucky that my current employer is so understanding and flexible and has been there with me through it all already.I don't apparently qualify for Social Security, SSI, Disability, Medicaid, etc. For who knows what reason.I just don't understand. I feel very defeated. Very discouraged.I don't know how people do it. How am I expected to pay this? It'd be one thing if I was just a normally broke fresh out of college kid. But I don't get a fresh start on this. I get to be held back by a year of treatment and surgery, barely able to work, and of course incruing massive debt well beyond even the most well established persons income. (let alone that I was not well established previously)You always hear how a medical crisis just shatters people, not merely emotionally and psychologically, but financially as well. And I know the stories. But it's hard to fathom when it's you in that position. It's hard to dig yourself out of that pit of worry, anxiety, and fear. This wierd obligation I have. I've never imagined the statement "stuck between a rock and a hard place" to ever be so true. though for me it's essentially a life or death kinda true.And well. That's it. I don't even have anything more to say. I barely can muster the energy to be angry. it's just too heavy. I'd rather just sink into a corner and disappear. money, insurance, the health care industry...all be damned.
Posted by Becca at 12:03 PM 5 comments
Wednesday, April 4, 2007

The after effects no one mentions
I know i know i know....i'mma bad bad blogger.I've been on a itty bitty break. Sorta forgot bout writing. No real good reason. Other than maybe, trying to get back to living.It's cool seeing all the comments on here though. Sometimes people comment and I realize I have no way to answer em back. Which is sorta sad.I want you guys all to know I do read every comment and I'm so honored, flattered, touched, surprised, embarrassed, and humbled that anyone even reads what I have to say.It was really cool that I got a comment on my last entry from a nurse that I had at Cleveland Clinic in September for my surgery. It feels awesome that they not only remember me, but actually got online to see how I was doing.And for that...to anyone that I've come across in this mad journey that is cancer...I'm doing well. I think about lots of the nurses and fellows and doctors I've come in contact with often. Believe it or not.I remember one nurse (or nurse aid?) at cleveland clinic who sat in my room when my mom was out doing errands, and talked to me for the longest time about her sister, and their quest to decorate her sisters house by going to every yard sale they could find.And I remember the Radiation Therapist who would buy at least 2 of my "CANCER SUCKS" bracelets every time she saw me (and seeing as I was there mon-fri for five weeks straight...that's alot of bracelets). She single-handedly outfitted almost every person working in radiation and the CT Scan dept.And I remember the Stoma nurse from Cleveland emailing me months after surgery to see how I was doing, and to say how great my stoma looked.And not even just in the medical area. From the first day I told people at work what was going on, the person that runs the cafe in my job decided there wasn't alot he could do to help me, but the one thing he could do was feed me for free the entire time I was in treatment. I didn't even realize til I came back from surgery and having not worked for two months how much of a help this was to me.A friend who I didn't even know for too long, or too well at the time found out what was going on and singlehandedly organized, and executed an amazing classical concert as a fundraiser for me in a city that I had never lived or visited, on a school campus which I never attended, nor had any connection to.And the Radiation Doctor who ended up leaving to a new hospital right on my last day of radiation, but made sure she was the one who saw me on my final day, and then gave me her personal cell phone number in case I had any problems later on.A nurse that my mom works with, but whom I've never met decided her family and her would not give each other presents this christmas, but instead take money they would have bought presents with, and donated it to my fundraising.There were so many people I crossed paths with that made the experience just a bit more bearable, and helped me continue to feel like a person rather than a number or a disease. This teeny tiny blog entry doesn't touch on even half. I wish I could detail out for you all how many amazing things that have happened due to such an awful diagnosis.I felt I needed to take a sec to reflect on some of the more positive notes and all the great people I'm lucky enough to have in my life. Since I'm not in the greatest of moods right now, and my next entry will probably be a wwwwwhhhoooooollllleeee lot more negative.but first...sleep is an order.obrigado gentes

HR 1738

The Colorectal Cancer Early Detection, Prevention and Treatment Act


HR 1738

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. In 2007, an estimated 153,760 new cases will be diagnosed and an estimated 52,180 men and women will die from the disease. A significant percentage of these cancer diagnoses and deaths could be prevented, if more people took advantage of colorectal cancer screening.

When colorectal cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the 5 year survival rate is 90 percent. However, when cancer is not diagnosed until it has spread to distant organs, the 5 year survival rate is only 10 percent. Furthermore, the disease can be prevented through the early identification and removal of pre-cancerous polyps, detectable only through colorectal cancer screenings. Between 30,000 – 44,000 lives a year could be saved if everyone over 50 got screened for colorectal cancer. Of the 52,180 people expected to die of colorectal cancer in 2007, 50-80% could be saved if they were tested. Eliminating the financial barrier to screening is essential.


The Colorectal Cancer Early Detection, Prevention and Treatment Act will establish a life-saving program to fight colorectal cancer, one of the most easily preventable cancers.


This bill:

• Establishes a program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide screenings and treatment for colorectal cancer.
• Targets screening services toward individuals between 50 - 64 years of age (the pre-Medicare population), or those under 50 years old but with high risk of such cancer.
• Gives priority to low-income, uninsured and underinsured individuals who would not otherwise have coverage for colorectal cancer screening, diagnostic follow up, and/or treatment.
• Provides case management and referrals for medical treatment of screened individuals.
• Ensures the full continuum of cancer care for individuals screened, including the appropriate follow-up for abnormal tests, diagnostic and therapeutic services, and treatment for detected cancers.
• Provides education and training for health professionals in the detection of colorectal cancer.
• Develops and disseminates findings and outcomes data in order to evaluate the program for cost, effectiveness and reach, which will inform ongoing community screening and treatment efforts.

Tony Snow back on the job

WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Tony Snow was back on the job Monday, five weeks after doctors discovered a recurrence of his cancer. He said he would soon undergo chemotherapy "just to make sure we've got the thing knocked out."
Snow, 51, has been on medical leave since undergoing exploratory surgery last month, when doctors discovered that a growth in his abdominal area was cancerous and had metastasized, or spread, to the liver.
Snow started typically early, appearing Monday on the North Lawn of the White House for a series of morning television network news shows, including an interview on "Fox and Friends," with his former Fox network colleagues.
"I've recovered from the surgery, more or less," Snow said in a CNN interview. "I'll start doing chemo on Friday. We'll do it every other week for four months."
Once a month, Snow said, "We'll do a maintenance chemo just to make sure we've got the thing knocked out and put in remission."
Snow had his colon removed in 2005 and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
Over the weekend, Snow spoke to students and alumni at Davidson College, from which he graduated in 1977. During an impromptu question-and-answer session there, Snow said he has become closer to God and his family because of the cancer, The Charlotte Observer reported.
"I am actually enjoying everything more than I ever have," Snow said, according to the newspaper. "God hasn't promised us tomorrow, but he has promised us eternity."
Snow is married with three children, 10, 11 and 14.

Tony Snow's cancer has returned.

AP PHOTO/Gerald Herbert

Presidential spokesman Tony Snow's surgery to remove a small growth showed that his cancer has returned and spread to his liver, the White House said Tuesday. Mr. Snow had his entire colon removed in 2005.

Even with the cancer spreading to the liver, this is certainly curable. The introductions of new medicines since 2000 have increased survival dramitically.

Hey Tony, whisper in George's ear to fully fund the NIH, NCI and CDC!!!!! Please pray for Mr. Snow and his family.

To view some interesting stories on colon cancer survival, check out the forum at the Colonclub.