We don’t necessarily need a designated month to remind us how important emotional resilience is to our quality of life. Keeping a clear mental perspective affects our overall wellness, as well as our relationships with family and friends. But, it can be hard to navigate the day-to-day with a rare cancer diagnosis that, on all accounts to others, is over…right? People ask: You had your appendix out, and the cancer’s gone, right? So, you’re cured, right?
Learning how to juggle anger, frustration, confusion, and despair with gratitude, happiness, and HOPE are part of our daily paradigm. But, we don’t have to go it alone. That’s why we log in to HOPE Zoom every so often, to check in with our tribe, those who understand what it’s like to live beyond an appendix cancer diagnosis. Here are a few tools to add to your mental health toolbox, compliments of Mental Health America:
The National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD) also has a local resources state directory of various health services you can search.
Lastly, don’t underestimate the value of talking with a mental health professional. Talk with your physician or medical team about securing time with a clinician specialized in long-term illness and cancer survivorship. Conversation is just one tool we have to build the emotional resilience we need to go the distance with appendix cancer. Let’s have those talks year-round.
Open the Mental Health Toolbox
Each year, SSO/ACT extends the Gabriella Graham Patient Advocacy Award “to an individual or patient advocacy organization that has provided support and hope to patients and families facing cancers that are often treated with a regional treatment approach.” Pals past-president Chris Piekarski and current president Adele Jasion received the honor in 2022 and 2018, respectively. Not only does this award recognize the important role of patient support, it reminds us of the decades of service by Gabriella and PMP Pals.
SSO/ACT recognized the work of Manju George, MVSc, PhD, and the patient advocacy community, COLONTOWN. Manju knows a thing or two about cancer as she’s a Stage 3b rectal cancer survivor. After her diagnosis in 2017, she joined COLONTOWN and applied her post-doctoral training and research experience in Cell and Cancer Biology to develop “CRC 101,” an introductory educational primer for patients new to the colorectal cancer journey. Much like PMP Pals, COLONTOWN offers patient-centered resources, a vibrant Facebook community, “Doc Talks” with expert & physician presentations, and support through peer exchange. Take a look at their website for interesting information and resources you might find helpful.
Congratulations Manju for emboding the spirit and persistence of our founder and helping patients worldwide live well beyond their diagnosis.
Pals President Adele Jasion and Secretary-Treasurer Charmain Skillman attended the Society of Surgical Oncology’s Advanced Cancer Therapies (SSO/ACT) symposium in February 2024. Charmaine shares her perspective here.
PMP Pals recently attended the meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology Advanced Cancer Therapies (SSO/ACT) in San Juan, Puerto Rico.This gathering of 200 surgeons and associated professionals is the most concentrated annual educational event in the U.S. for those treating peritoneal surface malignancies (PSMs).
Why do we go to SSO? Adele and I attended and tabled in the exhibit hall to increase exposure of PMP Pals and our programs for individuals affected by PMP and appendix cancer. We spent three days renewing connections with long-time friends of Pals and meeting new physicians just starting their careers. These interactions bring many benefits, such as identifying new speakers and new topics for our HOPE ZOOM meetings and other events. Also, we learn of new research and new treatments in development. And, we continuously rely on these connections for advice, answers, and involvement in new projects, such as our newly-formed Medical Advisory Board (The MAB – more on that in our next enews). We even met three of our MAB Pals – Doctors Dineen, Onchin, and Wiatrek – over breakfast.
Plus, we were very proud to be in the room when SSO/ACT presented the Gabriella Graham Patient Advocacy Award, inspired by the work of our founder. This year, Manju George, Scientific Director for Paltown Development Foundation and COLONTOWN, accepted the award for her nonprofit’s work supporting and educating the colorectal cancer (CRC) patient community. We met with and congratulated Manju, too, and learned more about this large patient organization. We invited her to a future HOPE Zoom to talk about COLONTOWN and medical advancements in the CRC space.
PMP Pals is grateful to participate in SSO/ACT as a sponsoring exhibitor. Your donations allowed Adele and I to represent PMP Pals among the medical professionals who serve our community — your financial support is crucial to our ability to attend this essential event.
Several Pals are very public with their illness, choosing to share their wellness journey online via YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Caring Bridge. All share the hope of helping a fellow appendix cancer survivor navigate the surprises of this diagnosis, along with insider perspectives for treatment and daily living. You can find Pals like Jamie V., Lindsay B., Roberta G., and Ariel M. through their social platforms.
Paul in Perth (aka Paul E. from Australia) has a Youtube channel on which he’s become something of a virtual celebrity. With over 24,000 followers worldwide, Paul chronicles his appendix cancer/PMP journey through the highs and lows. He recently shared his efforts to “wrangle his affairs” by organizing paperwork into binders and explaining his system with family ahead of time. He’s got a really sold way of explaining processes and the how’s and why’s; he’s also always looking for solutions and answers to pass along to others. Be sure to give his videos the “Thumbs Up” to help them with passive income, Like/Follow his YouTube Channel to increase their visibility as social influencers, and comment to let him know you’re listening.
*PLEASE NOTE: The views and comments shared by Pals on their own communications channels are their own opinions and perspectives. Their comments do not necessarily reflect those held by PMP Pals.
Many of you may recognize Jamie V. as one of the “Pals Angels,” a HOPE Zoom moderator on Wednesday at 6pET/3pPT. She does a lot of volunteering for our group like mentoring other patients 1-on-1, assisting with graphic design (she helped with the 5K logo), cardwriting, greeting at the Meet Up, and keeping us grounded in today.
Many Pals found our community as a result of online search and Jamie’s plugs on her YouTube channel. You can keep up with Jamie and her journey of hope with goblet cell appendix cancer here. In her most recent vlog (video blog), Jamie takes us on a drive to her last Tecentriq Immunotherapy treatment.
For a woman living with disease since 2019 (yes, she went through CRS & HIPEC on her own during the COVID hospital crisis), she’s always got something going! Outside of Pals, Jamie is a talented graphic designer. jewelry maker, TikToker, and lover of all things four-legged and furry.
“I love doing this because I feel that helping people is why I’m still here. If I can help one person feel connected, to replace fear with HOPE, then it’s all worth it,” says Jamie. Check out her sites and be sure to give her posts the “Thumbs Up” to help with passive income and increase her visibility as an appendix cancer social influencer. You can also comment to let her know you’re listening.
*PLEASE NOTE: The views and comments shared by Pals on their own communcations channels are their own opinions and perspectives. Their comments do not necessarily reflect those held by PMP Pals.
