205 years of Survivorship

205 Years!

That is how many years of ovarian cancer survivorship was present at a luncheon at the Crowne Plaza in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania yesterday.

Since the early 2000's,  a group of ovarian cancer survivors who met online (ACOR, Inspire, Facebook, Smart Patients) or at the OCNA conference,  gathered together in one of the women's home town for a fun weekend get together. The group has met in a variety of locations from Canada, to Missouri, to Kentucky, and Maryland.  This year when I learned the get together was in Pennsylvania  a little over an hour or so from my house I knew I had to attend and meet so many woman I admire.

So off I drove yesterday morning under grey and stormy clouds to have lunch with my teal sisters at the Annual Ovarian Cancer Survivor Friends Get Together. The Luncheon was sponsored by the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation as part of their mission to bring survivors together.  Robin Cohen CEO and co-founder of the Foundation was there to welcome all the women to the luncheon and the Philly area.The food offered a taste of Philly from Hoagies to Cheese Steak Sandwiches to Tastycakes.  Thank you Robin and SROCF .

The food was delicious but the best part of this day was meeting so many wonderful survivors in person. They came from near - Pennsylvania and New Jersey and far - Maryland, Kentucky and Illinois and Kansas.  There were survivors who have helped to raise awareness of the disease in unique ways -Teal Toes, acted as patient reviewers of DOD grants, presented posters at AACR and taught medical students through Survivors Teaching Students. Most of the women have been there online offering support and prayers for others diagnosed with the disease. As we ate we talked about hair loss, neuropathy, clinical trials and tumor storage. We questioned what makes survivors of 5+ years different from other women diagnosed with the disease. We laughed.  And as we looked at photos of past get togethers we teared up remembering women who were no longer with us. In that room in PA were some of the most active and inspiring ovarian cancer e-patients in the country.

Before the day ended I got to do something I have wanted to do for a long time. I went up to Helen, a 20+ year survivor of ovarian cancer, gave her a hug and told her "Thank- you"for being there for me when I was in treatment. She responded to the very first post I wrote on the ACOR listserv in 2005.

I would never have been able to say thank you in person without the efforts of Anna Marie and Yi who helped to organize the event. Thanks Yi and Anna Marie.

I can't wait to see all of you next year.

Dee
Every Day is a Blessing !!!
And I am truly blessed to have met Annamarie, Annie, Barbara, Carey, Carol, Christine,  Cindy, Cynthia, Helen, Jan, Judith, Nan, Pat, Susan,Teresa, Terri, Yi, Yi from PA

I’m Gearing up for Medicine X and You Should Too

In less than a month I will be flying out to California to attend the Stanford Medicine X (MedX) conference as one of this year's e-patient scholar delegates. (You can find a list of this year’s e-patient delegates here.) I so happy to be taking part in the MedX | IDEO Design Challenge.

I can almost see your faces as you read this. You are thinking, “What is an e-patient? What is Med X?” Why do you want to attend?”

What is an e-patient?

ePatient (e!pa!tient/e‘p"SH#nt/): 1. A health consumer who uses the Internet to gather information about a medical condition of particular interest to them, and who use electronic communication tools (including Web 2.0 tools) in coping with medical conditions. 2. Friends and family members (e-Caregivers) who go online on behalf of patients. (Stanford MedicineX definition) 

I wrote about being an e-patient in a February blog post. 

What is MedX ? Who is involved with MedX?

 “Medicine X is a catalyst for innovative ideas about the future of medicine, healthcare, and wellness. The initiative explores how emerging technologies will advance medical practice, improve health outcomes, and empower patients to be active participants in their own care. The “X” is meant to encourage thinking beyond numbers and trends—it represents the infinite possibilities for current and future information technologies to improve health and well-being.”

Creativity combined with healthcare. How amazing is that? Pretty amazing I think and one of the main reasons I applied to be an e-patient delegate this year. The MedX conference is an academic conference but it is designed for everyone to participate in.  You will find researchers, physicians, mental health-care providers, designers, engineers, technologists, and patients sitting side-by-side learning, creating and sharing their stories and ideas.  I am so excited that the patient voice is being included.

Those stories and ideas will be shared with others through Twitter, Facebook and participant blogs. But you can attend this conference virtually and not miss any of the keynote speeches, etc  by registering for free Global Access. You can register for free at http://medicinex.stanford.edu/2014/08/04/announcing-global-access-program-2014/

What is the IDEO Challenge?

On September 4^th, Stanford Medicine X and the design firm, IDEO will bring together patients, designers, researchers, and health-care providers to collaborate in teams to improve patient care.  I have been learning about the design process and for the past few days I have been developing problem statements that my team can work on the day of the Challenge.  I will be focusing on problems that patients with cancer face but the ideas can be applied to other chronic illnesses as well. 

When and Where is MedX? The Stanford Medicine X conference is held September  5-7, 2014 in Palo Alto, California.  The IDEO Challenge is held the day before the conference.

Why do I want to attend MedX? I have been an ovarian cancer advocate for nine years. I've written about my journey with the disease. I spoken about ovarian cancer symptoms and blogged about research into better treatments and an early detection test. I’ve co-moderated a monthly tweet chat (#gyncsm) for gynecologic cancer survivors. But it has been years since I worked as an engineer and been personally involved with the creative research and design process. MedX is the perfect place to blend advocacy with innovation and I can’t wait to be part of the conference and meet other e-patients.

I hope many of you will join me virtually it should be an  incredible experience. 

Dee

Every Day is a Blessing !

Being an e-patient

Over the past few years I have used the Internet to share my story and information on ovarian cancer symptoms and research. I write this blog, tweet , share info on facebook and now co-moderate the #gyncsm tweet chat on Twitter. In addition to sharing information on the Internet I also learn from it. I take part in webinars on ovarian cancer treatments and watch U-tube videos provided by different ovarian cancer organizations.

When I started to follow Stanford Medicine X on Twitter and Facebook I learned that there is a name for what I am . I am an e-patient.  

ePatient (e!pa!tient/e‘p"SH#nt/): 1. A health consumer who uses the Internet to gather information about a medical condition of particular interest to them, and who use electronic communication tools (including Web 2.0 tools) in coping with medical conditions. 2. Friends and family members (e-Caregivers) who go online on behalf of patients. (MedX definition) 

In January, I applied to be an e-patient at the Stanford MedicineX conference in September. I became a finalist and had an interview, Google Hangout style. I'm glad I was used to doing Google Hangouts with my daughter and her family so my nervousness was just with having the interview. I was thrilled when I opened my e-mail on February 2nd to learn I was chosen to be a delegate and will take part in the Design Challenge working on a patient designed project with other healthcare stakeholders and the firm, IDEO.

On Monday February 3rd, Dr Larry Chu announced the winners on the MedX blog. When I read the list of delegate names I was happy to see women I know through the #bcsm chat and other patient groups. I can't wait to meet all of them in person.

I will have some work to do before the conference and I look forward to spending time and learning from other e-patients like myself.


Dee
Every Day is a Blessing!