Patient Advocacy

Kathy Gram faced colorectal cancer with a positive attitude, good humor, and support from family and close friends. When her disease was in remission, she shared her hard-won wisdom with others as a Patient Advocate. She reflected on the lessons she had learned as a 12-year cancer survivor.

Dennis Golden was an active, fit, 70-year-old when he learned he had prostate cancer. He was surprised to discover that few men know the warning signs and how potentially serious it can be. In response, he formed the National Prostate Cancer Awareness Foundation to educate men about this disease.

Lisa Lurie went from “bald, breastless, and bewildered” to all-glammed-up as a cancer survivor and founder of Cancer Be Glammed, a nonprofit organization that empowers women to recover with dignity and positive self-esteem. Last fall, Lisa was a finalist for CONQUER’s Hero of Hope Patient Award, and although she didn’t win, this experience was a milestone in her cancer story.

Wenora Y. Johnson, 3-time survivor, shares her cancer story and encourages patients to ask their care team about biomarker testing.

After facing the potential financial burden of his own medical bills, cancer survivor David Mitchell founded Patients for Affordable Drugs, a nonprofit organization aimed to control the cost of drugs and make them affordable for patients with cancer.

Hope Nemiroff’s inability to easily get answers to some of her questions during her breast cancer experience led her to establish Breast Cancer Options, which offers free services, education, and advocacy to patients with breast cancer.

Hildy Grossman describes her struggle with the stigma linked to a lung cancer diagnosis and her work, through Upstage Lung Cancer and music, to educate the public about lung cancer.

Yelak Biru stresses the importance of paying it forward and sharing your knowledge with others in regard to patient advocacy.

Yelak Biru believes that a cancer diagnosis affects a person's entire family and support network, and notes that there are various ways for patients with cancer to involve and inform their families about their treatment.