Patients First: Samantha & Samuel Siegel’s Marriage of Medicine and Advocacy
Advocate Spotlight: Drs. Samantha and Samuel Siegel Samantha and Samuel Siegel started medical school together at Jefferson Medical College in 2008, the only married couple in their cohort. While Samuel had been managing chronic health conditions since his early 20s, including inflammatory bowel disease and autoimmune liver disease, their third ...
Alique Topalian: Childhood Cancer and the Frightening Realities of the Survivorship Journey
Alique was first diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) at the age of four. Her mother, Michele, knew something was wrong because “the light in her eyes was gone”. After being told by doctors that there was nothing wrong, her family was relentless until new blood work uncovered blast cells ...
Amanda Helms: Care Planning, Mental Health, and Palliative Care are Essential to Quality Cancer Care
Amanda Helms was enjoying a bubble bath while reading a book when she looked down and noticed a lump on the side of her breast in January of 2020. She had a bad feeling about it instantly, even though she had no family history or risk factors. She went to ...
Kara Kenan: Helping Others is the Greatest Reward of Advocacy
“Nobody wins afraid of losing” rings true for Kara Kenan, a breast cancer survivor. It’s her favorite line from Chris Stapleton’s song, “Starting Over,” which, for her, is symbolic of overcoming the fear of a cancer diagnosis and coming out on the other side. Kara recognizes that winning looks different ...
Bethany Ross: Advocating for Quality Cancer Care Through Storytelling
Advocate Spotlight July 2022 - Bethany Ross Bethany Ross is a four-year neuroendocrine cancer survivor, or “cancer badass,” as she prefers to be called. She attended NCCS’s in-person Cancer Policy and Advocacy Team (CPAT) Symposium for the first time in June as a CPAT steering committee member. “It was amazing ...
