including mental illness, affects at least 1 in 3 people. Simply put, if you haven’t had cancer yourself you probably are close to someone who has. You may even have lost someone you love. I believe one of the reasons I had such a positive experience and outcome was that my cancer was detected early. Time of detection can be a game changer for any individual. More often than not, it dramatically changes your survival chances. Hearing 15-20% chance of reoccurrence with aggressive therapy is very different than hearing 15-20% survival rate with aggressive therapy. The fact of the matter is more and more people are surviving because of strong and ‘effective’ prevention campaigns. Sadly I still see funding and effortsdirected towards programs that are no longer effective. It is important to understand that what worked 5 years ago may not be as relevant today. The face of the cancer patient care is changing. Surviving Cancer is no longer acceptable. Thriving and Quality of Life is and must be the focus. It is about positioning the newly diagnosed individual for the most optimal outcome.
32
CorporateWellnessMagazine.com
|
People are often moved by my story with cancer, however, what I must remind them of is that I didn’t do it alone. More often than not the diagnosis is so overwhelming that patients can’t bring themselves to tell their loved ones. On hearing a cancer diagnosis, the immune system and mental strength is instantly compromised by the burden of carrying such stress alone. In most cases, once a patient enters medical and social/psych type of care, their ability to cope dramatically improves. Connecting newly diagnosed patients to proactive support resources is vital. As the concept of company wellness evolves, specialized programs that deliver support from diagnosis to return-to-work are emerging. The support will evolve into restoring and ‘reorienting’ programs preparing individuals for their new reality and thriving in their own new world. Sadly, today, these types of practical support programs are not widespread with the focus still on getting people past the diagnosis, through treatment and returning home.
June 2011