ReportWire

Tag: Cancer survivor

  • LI leader’s new book links Ironman grit to cancer fight | Long Island Business News

    [ad_1]

    THE BLUEPRINT:

    • LI leader beat cancer twice using Ironman mindset

    • ‘‘ offers lessons from triathlon to treatment

    • Balances personal story with leadership and coaching insights

    • Book addresses healthcare inequality in cancer care access

    In his new book, “Every Mile Matters,” local leader Jeffrey Reynolds shares how his experience as an Ironman athlete became a powerful tool in his fight against cancer – not once, but twice. Reynolds, president and CEO of Family and Children’s Association, said he approached cancer treatment with the same discipline and determination he brought to endurance training, transforming adversity into resilience.

    At 55, Reynolds joined an elite group of athletes in 2021 completing a 140.6-mile in Florida. But the victory was short-lived. A routine PSA test led to a prostate cancer diagnosis, followed by a more severe blow: Stage 3B colorectal cancer. Reynolds found himself applying the same grit and strategy he used in endurance sports to navigate a high-stakes medical battle.

    “I went from being at the peak of physical fitness to facing my own mortality,” Reynolds said in a news release about the book. “But I quickly realized that triathlon had been preparing me for this race I never signed up for.”

    Reynolds said he found the discipline to push through “the wall” at mile 20 of a marathon, and the ability to stay calm in chaotic open water –  all of which equipped him with the tools to face cancer head on.

    With that approach, Reynolds said he persevered through months of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, while continuing to lead one of Long Island’s oldest and largest organizations and also coaching others who had been newly diagnosed.

    In the book, Reynolds offers practical wisdom for anyone facing life’s biggest challenges. He also shares “training tips” for building holistic resilience – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual – that transcend the athletic arena into everyday leadership.

    The book also delivers a sobering critique of America’s healthcare system. Reynolds contrasts his access to top-tier care with the stark disparities that influence cancer outcomes – where race, education, income and geography can play a role.

    “‘Every Mile Matters’ is a triumph of heart and soul in battling the demons of cancer,” Mike Reilly, an ambassador caption for the Ironman Foundation, said in the news release.

    “Jeffrey Reynolds has captured each defining moment of his with honesty, passion, and remarkable clarity,” Reilly added. Through his story, he teaches us powerful life lessons – and more importantly, how to live them daily.”

    The book is available on and through its dedicated website of the same title.

     


    [ad_2]

    Adina Genn

    Source link

  • Childhood Cancer Survivor Now Works to Help Others Like Her

    Childhood Cancer Survivor Now Works to Help Others Like Her

    [ad_1]

    Feb. 6, 2023 — It might seem inevitable that Maggie Rogers, 33, a childhood cancer survivor, would one day end up pursuing a career related to cancer in some way. 

    She reached that goal a few weeks ago when she started working as director of pediatric, adolescent and young adult cancer support at the American Cancer Society. Her tasks are broad, including directing the program initiatives, projects and activities around pediatric and young adult cancer. She’ll also work on raising money from partner groups and stakeholders, such as other nonprofits and companies.

    Her decision to immerse herself in the cancer universe took some time.

    “As a child, cancer was part of my identity,” says Rogers, who was diagnosed with stage III kidney cancer when she was 4 years old and recalls starting kindergarten bald from her intensive chemo treatments. “But to work in the cancer field and to also have had it initially seemed to be too close to home.”

    With an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s in public health and epidemiology, she pursued health care-related jobs, which led to her previous work at the Center to Advance Palliative Care at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she worked for the past 8 years.

    While there, her career goals began to shift as she began to wonder how she could better help patients themselves.

    “My job at CAPC was removed from the impact we were having on actual patients since our main audience was health care professionals caring for patients,” she says. “I began thinking I’d be more interested in a position where there was a lot more direct impact on patients.”

    As she got involved in patient groups and conversations on Twitter, she also started feeling more at ease with the possibility of transitioning into oncology work.

    “I started getting a lot more comfortable with the concept of patient advocacy and knew I was in a unique position,” she says. “I began tweeting about my personal cancer experience and how this relates to our health care system.”

    About 18 months ago, she did something else that was quite fulfilling: She joined the patient advocacy committee at the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest organization devoted entirely to pediatric cancer research that’s supported by the National Cancer Institute.

    “This puts me in the room where people are talking about clinical trials, how they’re designing them, and my role is to provide a patient voice to inject questions like ‘how is this trial going to impact fertility,’” she says.

    This work helped her realize that she might be ready to do something meaningful in the cancer space.

    “I realized I could be in a room talking about kids with cancer and that I’d be OK,” she says.

    The fact that the first-ever chief patient officer at the American Cancer Society was someone Rogers had worked with over the course of her career made the decision to apply for the position an easy one.

    “This job is the perfect fit for me,” she says. “It integrates my education, my personal experience, and my professional experience all together in one.”

    One of the best parts for Rogers: A feeling that she’s not alone. 

    “My personal experience shapes so much of the work I do, but everyone at the American Cancer Society is so open about loved ones who died of cancer,” she says. “This is so different from my last position.”

    In fact, Rogers says she often hid the fact that she had cancer as a child from her co-workers.

    “Then someone outed me and people were crying in the office,” she says. “It was uncomfortable for a short period of time. I’m so happy that, in this job, I’m not the token cancer voice.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Henderson Co. breast cancer survivor shares story, helps inform Spanish-speaking community

    Henderson Co. breast cancer survivor shares story, helps inform Spanish-speaking community

    [ad_1]

    Breast cancer survivor shares story, helps inform Spanish-speaking community

    [ad_2]

    Source link