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 ...

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 ...

Advocate Spotlight November 2021 | Stef Gayhart Stef Gayhart was building a life for herself and her son, when she was blindsided in August 2019 by a rare disease diagnosis: Stage 3 tongue cancer. At the time, Stef was a healthy 37-year-old working as a critical care nurse. She fought ...

Advocate Spotlight October 2021 | Allison Rosen After years of struggling with Crohn’s disease, Allison Rosen’s life was totally disrupted at the age of 32, when a colonoscopy revealed Stage 2C colorectal cancer in June 2012. Allison, now cancer free for the past nine years, transformed herself into an ardent ...

Advocate Spotlight September 2021 | Cora Fahy As a physical therapist assistant specializing in lymphedema and breast cancer rehabilitation, Cora Fahy’s diagnosis of Stage 2A ER/PR+ Her2- IDC Multifocal Multicentric breast cancer in 2015 was something she could handle. She understood the pathology, the treatment, and the prognosis from working ...

Advocate Spotlight August 2021 | Dr. Crystal Champion As a physical therapist, certified lymphedema therapist, principal of her own oncology rehabilitation practice – Eminence Physical Therapy, founder of the non-profit Champions Can! Foundation for Cancer Wellness Inc, and author of the book The Elements of Cancer Survivorship: A Guide to ...

Today, Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), co-chairs of the Congressional Cancer Survivors Caucus, introduced the Cancer Care Planning and Communications Act (H.R. 4414), which would create a Medicare service for cancer care planning, a key priority of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship. The legislation ...

NCCS CEO Shelley Fuld Nasso recently discussed how we can improve cancer survivors’ lives with Emil Ekvardt, founder of Great.com, on an episode of their "Great.com Talks With..." podcast. Cancer survivors often face long term debilitating effects from cancer treatment such as: fatigue, cognitive issues, depression, and anxiety. Patients need ...

Advocate Spotlight July 2021 | Rachel Ferraris Nearly all cancer survivors can reflect on their cancer journey and recall one specific moment – the low point. To be able to reflect on that moment is, of course, the real gift. It means you are a survivor. Reaching the light of ...

As lifelong Chicagoan Kimberly Richardson trained for the 2013 Chicago Marathon, the unusual lethargy she felt drove her into her doctor's office. Diagnosed with an ovarian cyst she was scheduled for a routine surgery to remove it. She woke from the surgery to a tap on her shoulder, "Kim, it's ...