Nicole C. Bullock: Faith, Family, and Friends Along the Path of Survivorship
As Nicole C. Bullock, a non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor, watched the news of hospital lockdowns during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, she couldn’t help but think of the cancer patients who faced the harsh reality that they would now have to receive treatment for their illness alone, without the ...
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 ...
Wenora Johnson: The Art of Caregiving: Connection and Kindness
Advocate Spotlight June 2022 - Wenora Johnson “One of the most important lessons I’ve learned as a caregiver is that the smallest act of kindness means so much to a person who’s not able to do for themselves,” says Wenora Johnson, who has cared for her brother throughout his diagnosis ...
Erin McGee Ferrell: The Art of Cancer Advocacy
Advocate Spotlight May 2022 - Erin McGee Ferrell Erin McGee Ferrell’s cancer was discovered during a traditional ceremony in a small Ecuadorian town along the Amazon River. She’d been traveling as an independent artist for five weeks, researching natural paints and pigments from Amazonian plants and minerals. Although she felt ...
Brad Power: The Power of Innovation in Cancer Advocacy
Advocate Spotlight April 2022 - Brad Power Brad Power was a process innovation researcher and consultant with more than 35 years of experience, as well as an author of more than 75 articles for the Harvard Business Review, when he was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2018. After successfully completing a standard ...
Jean Di Carlo-Wagner: Don’t be Embarrassed to Death
In March of 2003, Jean Di Carlo-Wagner listened to a public service announcement by Katie Couric, in which she discussed the symptoms of colon cancer. It was then that Jean knew she had cancer. After two years of bowel changes, fatigue, reflux, pain in her gut, weight changes, night sweats, ...
Roberta Albany: On a Mission to Educate the Black and Brown Cancer Communities
“I'm beautiful. I'm blessed, I'm loved, and I'm strong. I'm grateful. I'm victorious. I am a warrior. I am a survivor – but, more importantly, I am enough in Jesus’ name. Amen,” Roberta Albany says when she’s feeling down, depressed, or not like her confident self before her breast cancer ...
NCCS Advocate Spotlight: Rebecca Esparza
Advocate Spotlight January 2022 | Rebecca Esparza In August of 2001, 30-year-old Rebecca Esparza noticed her clothes weren’t fitting the way they should. Although she was an avid fan of step aerobics and running, her stomach seemed to be consistently bloated. By September, Rebecca felt the need to make an ...
NCCS Advocate Spotlight: Liza Fues
Advocate Spotlight December 2021 | Liza Fues Liza Fues was 25 years old and a new resident of Dallas, TX, when she discovered a lump in her breast in 1985. Her gynecologist immediately referred her to a breast surgeon, who proceeded with a biopsy. Because Liza was young with no ...
