Cancer. The word itself is powerful, scary, and demands attention.
As a member of the Chicago Health Corps, I serve at the American Cancer Society on the Colorectal Cancer Screening Initiative. My service has and continues to expose me to patients from all walks of life. However, one thing that remains constant among all the patients I speak with is their desire to listen and be active in our conversation about colon cancer. Maybe it's because I speak with them about something rather humorous--colonoscopies--or maybe it's the general fear of what cancer means.
In my direct service to these individuals I consider myself to be an ally in their care. But what does that mean exactly? To me, being an ally means empowering my patients to take responsibility for their health. What I often hear from many patients is:'The doctor will give me what I need." In my opinion, this is a dangerous approach, especially when it comes to cancer.
I recently spoke with a consistently hard to reach patient, who was initially skeptical but interested in our screening colonoscopy program, which is performed prior to any cancer diagnosis. I remember her telling me,'I'm healthy and nothing good is free. This has to be a gimmick." It took some encouragement on my part, but several weeks later with 3 colonic polyps removed at her colonoscopy appointment, she was ecstatic about our free program. She demanded an address where she could send a thank-you letter and ensured me she would let all her friends know about our program. If she never took the time to have the colonoscopy or talk with me, those three polyps could have developed into something far worse.
Not even cancer can beat a patient who feels empowered to take responsibility for their health, and I feel honored to be part of that experience.
This post was written by CHC member 
I recently spoke with a consistently hard to reach patient, who was initially skeptical but interested in our screening colonoscopy program, which is performed prior to any cancer diagnosis. I remember her telling me,'I'm healthy and nothing good is free. This has to be a gimmick." It took some encouragement on my part, but several weeks later with 3 colonic polyps removed at her colonoscopy appointment, she was ecstatic about our free program. She demanded an address where she could send a thank-you letter and ensured me she would let all her friends know about our program. If she never took the time to have the colonoscopy or talk with me, those three polyps could have developed into something far worse.