Patient Advocacy

Ngozi Ejedimu was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 39, after having a benign lump removed at age 19, and after experiencing firsthand the uninformed Nigerian breast cancer culture, she became an advocate for health literacy for Nigerian women.

Diagnosed with stage II breast cancer at age 45, Lauren Schultz found herself having to navigate a new world she knew nothing about. Here, she gives specific tips she had to learn the hard way.

Sally Torgeson explains how a myeloma coach can help newly diagnosed patients with the vast array of information, emotional, and financial demands of this type of blood cancer.

Maimah Karmo was diagnosed with stage II triple-negative breast cancer at age 32. After her diagnosis, she was emboldened to fight against the injustices and inequalities black women face in navigating medical care.

In this third article on bedside advocacy, Kimberley Norris illuminates key processes and aspects of end of life and hospice care that will be valuable for any advocate.

Montessa Lee’s pain persisted after an initial visit to the doctor and a misdiagnosis. Finally, an x-ray in the emergency room revealed a 15-cm mass on her left lung. Read how she turned anger into action.

Mark DeLong’s son Peter was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, at age 14, and died when he was just 16. Mark uses advocacy to raise funds for cancer research in Peter’s memory.

Nicole Fuller went from being on the patient side of breast cancer to becoming an oncology navigator and advocate, cancer exercise specialist, and motivational speaker. This is her story.

Kimberley Norris uses her experience as her husband’s bedside advocate to describe what it means to be a bedside advocate, providing physicians’ practical tips for people who are in a similar situation.