Cancer Convos: Survivorship. Advocacy. Policy

Monica Fawzy Bryant, Esq. and Joanna Fawzy Morales, Esq. are two cancer rights attorneys (and sisters) who saw the need to help individuals diagnosed with cancer, caregivers, advocates, and health care professionals, navigate the plethora of legal and practical issues that arise after a diagnosis -- so they founded Triage Cancer. We speak with them about how cancer survivors can receive resources and education on legal issues needed during COVID-19 and beyond.

An official trailer for the upcoming episode with Monica Fawzy Bryant, Esq. and Joanna Fawzy Morales, Esq. - two cancer rights attorneys (and sisters) who saw the need to help individuals diagnosed with cancer.

Veronika, a Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer survivor, NCCS
advocate, and Museum Educator, lead group tours of young,
aspiring artists at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburg. In the
cramped exhibit halls and close quarters of the indoor museum,
she would feel the hugs of her young guests who greeted her as
she prepared groups for interactive demonstrations. She also
served as the front-line for the museum by being the first face a
visitor would see. Visitors came to Veronika for answers.

Since Friday the 13th of March, Veronika has been furloughed
from her museum and safely quarantined alone in her home. As
a cancer survivor with a depleted immune system, she is at a
heightened risk for a deadly infection if she contracts COVID-19,
which would most likely cost her her life.

Yet, Veronika loves her job and finds her life purpose in her
work, which gives her both happiness and security to pay bills
and receive health insurance. But now, she fears her job will
soon require her to go back to the museum, which in turn, will
compromise her health and safety.

Veronika, a Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cancer survivor, NCCS
advocate, and Museum Educator, lead group tours of young,
aspiring artists at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburg.

In addition to the shock of a cancer diagnosis and stress of treatment, cancer patients  may also be at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 because their cancer, or its treatment, has left them more vulnerable to complications.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) launched a long-term, nationwide study of COVID-19 in people with cancer called NCI COVID-19 in Cancer Patients Study (NCCAPS).

In this podcast episode, NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso speaks with leaders of the study] about how it will help scientists answer key questions about COVID-19’s impact on cancer patients, as well as cancer’s impact on the course of COVID-19. The findings have the potential to influence the treatment of cancer patients with COVID-19 in the future.

In this episode, NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso talks to cancer survivorship advocates Janet Freeman-Daily, Sheila McGlown, and Kelly Shanahan about living with stage IV cancer and continuing their advocacy during a pandemic. Janet Freeman-Daily is a non-small cell lung cancer survivor, a former aerospace engineer and technical translator who writes and lectures about the cancer experience, and collaborates with with scientists and researchers. She is a moderator of the #LCSM lung cancer community on Twitter and you can follow her @JFreemanDaily. https://lcsmchat.com/ Sheila McGlown is a mother, wife, 25-year veteran of the United States Air Force, metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patient and advocate. Read her story here: https://www.storyhalftold.com/meet-sheila-mcglown Kelly Shanahan, MD is a metastatic patient advocate, a board member of the metastatic breast cancer awareness organization METAvivor, and a former OB/GYN. She is an avid tweeter, you can follow her @stage4kelly. Find COVID-19 and Cancer resources: https://www.canceradvocacy.org/covidresources/

In this episode, Lindsay talks to Dr. Coral Olazagasti of Northwell Health in New York about how we aren’t all “in the same boat” when it comes to the COVID-19 health crisis. Dr. Olazagasti outlines cancer care disparities that exist in many majority-minority communities, and we talk about what policies might address these gaps. Read Dr. Olazagasti’s editorial in The Cancer Letter, “When disparities widen: COVID-19 in minority patients with cancer” here: https://cancerletter.com/articles/20200424_3/ Find COVID-19 and Cancer resources: https://www.canceradvocacy.org/covidresources/

NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso talks to Leading experts from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Ronald D. Ennis, MD and Louis Potters, MD about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected radiation oncology practices. NCCS is pleased to co-present this conversation with ASTRO. The conversation focused on how cancer patients can receive life-saving radiation treatment while implementing safety and quality measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Shelley Fuld Nasso also posed important questions and concerns from cancer survivors about their care. The discussion reminded us of an important theme during this time: cancer does not wait. Together, we hope this discussion informs cancer survivors, and their loved ones, about how to get the help they need and live well during and after cancer treatment. For resources about coronavirus and cancer, visit the NCCS COVID resources page at: https://www.canceradvocacy.org/covidresources/ ASTRO has resources for both health care professionals and patients at: https://www.astro.org/Daily-Practice/COVID-19-Recommendations-and-Information

In this episode, NCCS Policy Manager Lindsay Houff talks to Jamie Ledezma, an attorney who specializes in cancer rights. Jamie discusses how health policy is changing at a rapid pace, at both the state and federal levels. A cancer survivor herself, Jamie also shares what it’s like as a patient navigating the health care system during COVID-19, and gives advice for fellow patients who are looking for answers. During the conversation, Jamie mentioned a health insurance resource page from Triage Cancer, an organization who focuses on cancer patient rights and advocacy: https://triagecancer.org/covid- 19-health-insurance-coverage For resources about coronavirus and cancer, visit the NCCS COVID resources page at https://www.canceradvocacy.org/covidresources/

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Don Dizon, a medical oncologist who is chronicling his experience on the front lines of oncology during COVID-19 in a series for Medscape entitled COVID-19: Diary of an Oncologist. [https://www.medscape.com/index/list_13427_0] We talk with Dr. Dizon about the challenges of delivering cancer care and conducting clinical trials during a pandemic. He shares his advice for cancer patients currently in treatment, as well as for cancer survivors coping with the stress and anxiety of life after cancer. We also talk about how he engages on social media and uses TikTok to create fun educational messages. He also shares how virtual communities can provide support during challenging times.