Survivorship

It was the worst of circumstances. A not-quite 28-year-old woman - newly relocated, unemployed, and uninsured - feels a small lump on her left breast. 

Profiles of Courage: Debbie Anderson's Breast Cancer Survivor Story

My name is Debbie Anderson, some may know me as an employee of Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital, Others recognize me from church, a few may even know me from different events around Elko County, but for the most part this is the first time most people in Nevada will get to know me for I am no one special. I am just an ordinary person who lives an ordinary life.

Nevada Cancer Coalition's most recent survivorship project is a new partnership bringing information and support to the community in the places where they go to find information -- public libraries throughout the state. Nine libraries in Washoe, Elko, Eureka, and Lander counites will feature the educational displays throughout the month of June, along with library resources and books on various cancer topics. 

Ashley L. doesn’t consider herself to be a survivor.

“I just shoved it away and disassociated from the entire experience,” she says of the CIN 3 diagnosis she received while in her fourth year at the University of Nevada, Reno. “I didn’t accept that I had cancer until the last two years, but I choose to honor the experience now.”

As a coalition, we love a good story about collaboration and partnership. When we heard that two of our partners were working together on a unique project, funded by a third partner, we knew we had to share it with you. The three-partner project works to increase follow-up and surveillance care for breast cancer survivors transitioning to a primary care setting.

More than a year ago, NCC brought together partners from across the state to form a task force focusing on survivorship and palliative care. That first meeting was a hit, and partners were thrilled to be working together on a portion of the cancer continuum that's so vital yet we felt was a weak point for our state. Shortly after, NCC staff and our counterpart at the State of Nevada Comprehensive Cancer Control Program attended the National Cancer Survivorship Research Conference in Washington D.C. and learned that Nevada wasn't behind at all.

“It is the best thing you will ever do for yourself. And the trainers—they are amazing. They are just great no matter what type of cancer you have. They’re just great! It’s a huge resource.”

“A lot of it is recuperative care rather than just muscle building.”

During Spring 2017 NCC hosted a series of focus groups with cancer survivors to learn more about their experiences: both negative and positive. One program that elicited positive feedback which resulted in several participants planning to enroll in the program was Cancer: Thriving and Surviving. This evidence-based six-week workshop developed by the Stanford University School of Medicine is offered in both Reno and Las Vegas. Our hope is that with greater enrollment the program could spread to additional communities and locations throughout the state.

My name is Sharon Nagel. I am a survivor of two different cancers.

I was diagnosed with the first cancer in 1979 when I was 23 years old. One morning I awoke with an egg-sized lump in my neck that turned out to be thyroid cancer. I was a single mother of two children under 5 years old and had no insurance. After two surgeries and countless medical bills, I had to file bankruptcy because I was unable to work for almost a year.

June 4 is National Cancer Survivors Day, an opportunity to focus on celebrating the many cancer survivors, recognizing the abundance of life after cancer, and promoting quality of life for anyone diagnosed with cancer. We’re using the day to kick off a full month of posts and information about cancer survivorship, starting with LIVESTRONG at the Y.

First, Michael Wranick shares his LIVESTRONG at the Y story. Scroll down after Michael’s story to read more about the LIVESTRONG at the Y program.