Screw "watch and wait"... keep fighting

SurvivingAdvocacy
Written By Liz Salmi

What to do while you're waiting for your cancer to come back

PHOTO: Brett and Liz. I got goals, ya’ll!

PHOTO: Brett and Liz. I got goals, ya’ll!

It sounds pessimistic, but let's be real: even when you are moving on with your life and enjoying survivorship or remission, you still worry about cancer from time to time.

Now that I am done with treatment I feel somewhat powerless. Brain surgeries and chemo sucks, but I at least felt like I was doing something to combat my disease.

Today I still have cancer and we are watching it... but for how long?

I say, screw "watch and wait." What's next?

Addressing cancer with advocacy

There are three cancer-related themes I am interested in, and this year, I'm tackling them all.

  1. Adolescent and young adult cancer advocacy (also called AYA cancer)

  2. Brain tumor advocacy

  3. Cancer and social media

I've got irons in the fire for all three areas of interest, and 2012 is going to rock my world.

Liz Salmi

Liz Salmi is Communications & Patient Initiatives Director for OpenNotes at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Over the last 15 years Liz has been: a research subject; an advisor in patient stakeholder groups; a leader in “patient engagement” research initiatives; and an innovator, educator and investigator in national educational and research projects. Today her work focuses on involving patients and care partners in the co-design of research and research dissemination. It is rumored Liz was the drummer in a punk rock band.

https://thelizarmy.com
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