Posted by Kate Murphy on May 20th, 2011

We at Fight Colorectal Cancer were shocked and deeply saddened by the death of board member Steven Depp on May 9.

Steve was an extraordinary volunteer and advocate for people living with colon and rectal cancer.  He worked hard to promote screening and end death and suffering from colorectal cancer. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Catherine Knowles on April 8th, 2011

Fight Colorectal Cancer is proud to be a member of the One Voice Against Cancer (OVAC) coalition. OVAC is a collaboration of national nonprofit organizations representing millions of Americans, delivering a unified message to Congress and the White House on the need for increased cancer-related appropriations. OVAC’s united front enhances each organization’s ability to attain the funding levels necessary to win the war on cancer and to equip those facing cancer with the tools they need to fight this deadly disease.

Each year, the members of OVAC bring advocates to DC to participate in a lobby day focused on appropriations for federally-funded cancer programs.

Last year, several Fight Colorectal Cancer advocates came to DC to participate in the 2010 OVAC lobby day. Read about what they accomplished.

Please consider participating in the 2011 OVAC lobby day. In the current fiscal environment, every voice in support of federal funding for cancer programs makes a difference!

The 2011 OVAC lobby day is May 23-24.  The registration web site is now open at https://www.seeuthere.com/ACS/OVACLobbyDay2011.  The registration deadline is April 22, 2011.

If you have any questions about registration, please contact Rebekah Kuschmider at info@ovaconline.org.

Posted by Carlea Bauman on April 8th, 2011

Guest blogger: Idelle Davidson

In researching and co-authoring Your Brain After Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus, Idelle Davidson interviewed countless survivors who reported often debilitating cognitive issues following treatment for cancer.  She wanted to know if there were any legal protections available to them in the workplace, or at home if they could no longer work. She spoke with Joanna Morales, an attorney and the director of the Cancer Legal Resource Center. Both Idelle and Joanna graciously agreed to let Fight Colorectal Cancer re-post the interview.

Q and A With Joanna Morales

ID) What is the legal standard to qualify for a disability?

JM) To have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) definition of disability, you have to have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities, have a history of an impairment, or be regarded as having an impairment.

Major life activities have traditionally been things like walking, talking, eating, breathing and working. But when the ADA amendments passed in 2008, they specifically delineated some additional major life activities that made it easier for someone with cancer to actually use the ADA’s protections.

And those activities include sleeping, concentrating, thinking, communicating and operation of major bodily functions. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by Catherine Knowles on March 25th, 2011

It might surprise you to know that some of the key players in the development of colorectal cancer research are regular folks like you. Patient advocates, as they are called, add the much-needed patient perspective to the development of clinical trials and can be the crucial voice that determines their success.

Fight Colorectal Cancer is developing a program to train regular people impacted by colorectal cancer – patients, caregivers, or family members – to participate in research advocacy. If you’ve been wanting to step up your efforts to fight colorectal cancer in new and exciting ways, we want to hear from you. But first, a few questions:

Do you know (or think you can learn) basic scientific concepts?

Do you think you can comfortably ask critical questions of people with big titles and lots of letters after their names?

Are you willing to voice the patient perspective on potential colorectal cancer research topics?

If you can see yourself in a role like this, tell us. Please complete a brief, two question survey to tell us a little bit about yourself.

Based on the answers we receive to this survey, we’ll be launching a research advocate program later this spring.

Thank you for taking the time to provide us your feedback on how to make the program as valuable as possible to advocates like you.

Posted by Catherine Knowles on March 23rd, 2011

One year ago today, the President signed into law the biggest transformation of our health care system in decades. Whether you favored or opposed the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PL 111-148, PL 111-152) (the Affordable Care Act), a full understanding of the new law is essential.

The Affordable Care Act changes many areas of health care, and will significantly impact cancer care. Fight Colorectal Cancer has all the information you need to understand the impact of health reform on colorectal cancer patients.

On our “Health Reform and You” webpage, you’ll find information explaining the law and its impact on colorectal cancer patients, such as:

Slides from our Health Reform webinar

Health Reform Benefits for Colorectal Cancer one page document

Individuals with Medicare still have to pay for therapeutic colonoscopies even though the Administration says preventive services like colonoscopies are free. You should understand this loophole.

Side-by-side chart comparison of the Senate-passed and the House-passed bills