Patient Advocacy

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.

Jessica Morris was blindsided by her brain cancer diagnosis after hiking with friends and having a full-blown seizure. Frustrated by the lack of treatment options for and the short life expectancy associated with glioblastoma, she created the nonprofit organization OurBrainBank.

Amanda Rice was 37 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time. She describes her decision to freeze her eggs after her diagnosis, which led her to launch the nonprofit organization The Chick Mission to educate women on the impact of cancer treatment on becoming mothers.

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.

Cancer treatment is complicated; an oncology patient advocate can help uncomplicate the journey by advocating and being a voice for their patients with cancer.

Kimberley Norris relates her experience as a bedside advocate for her husband, Rick, after his esophageal cancer diagnosis, introducing her discussion of the challenges of advocating for a hospitalized patient with cancer.

Ayesha Azam, VP of Medical Affairs at the Patient Access Network Foundation, explains the different ways that this organization provides financial assistance and grants for nearly 70 different medical conditions, including cancers and rare diseases. Find out if you qualify for financial support.

A chest x-ray and a CT scan revealed a diagnosis of stage IV (advanced) non–small-cell lung cancer after John Doll was experiencing shortness of breath and a lingering cold.