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.
John Razzano quickly slid into role of family caregiver when his wife, Mary, was diagnosed with our rare cancer in 2014. That meant playing head nurse, chief paperwork officer, cheerleader, and patient advocate. “During that time, I felt alone and isolated trying to navigate the physical, emotional, and psychological elements of Mary’s treatment. Mary succumbed to the disease in late 2015, and one year later my adult son was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma. I shared caregiver duties with my future daughter-in-law and today, my son is healthy and in remission.”
During this time, John started a support group with Dr. Fran Baumgarten at UCSD for family caregivers of cancer patients to let people know a community exists willing to support and hold up its fellow caregivers. “We created the podcast, Caregiver Companion to let caregivers know they are not alone. We launched in December 2023, and we now have 10 episodes and publish every two weeks. I think it’s a very useful resource for caregivers. I hope you enjoy it and find it useful.”
Caregiver Companion, A Guide to the Family Caregiver of Cancer Patients is available via
Spotify and
Apple Music. Add to your playlists and leave a review.
In March 2022, when Lindsay Barad packed for her CRS/HIPEC hospital stay, she thought she over-packed.
The one item that she didn’t bring along was a blanket and her first night in the hospital was freezing! The next morning, her father, Jim, stopped at a local department store and purchased two blankets for his daughter. He found this highly ironic as his business, Barad & Co, is a textile manufacturing company that produces plush blankets.
For the next week, Lindsay recovered in the hospital, wrapped up in those cozy blankets. They boosted her spirits, kept her warm, and helped make the sterile hospital room feel more like home. She found similar comfort with PMP Pals. Both have proven invaluable in establishing emotional resilience for living beyond a rare disease diagnosis like appendix cancer.
PMP Pals is partnering with Barad & Co to send Pals worldwide a gesture of comfort. Jim’s gift is his way of giving back to the community which has helped his daughter, Lindsay, as a patient, and him as a caregiver. Similar to our Bare Bottom Bears Program, Pals will send you a complimentary, cozy, plush blanket by mail, as you head into (or home from) surgery or other challenging treatment. This blanket symbolizes what we want every Pal to know: no matter what you are going through, you are not alone.
To request a blanket, email Lindsay at lindsay@pmppals.net. Include the name of the patient or caregiver recipient, mailing address with zip code, and phone number (if available). Out-of-country requests are accepted, however take a longer time to arrive. Limit one blanket per household..
After you receive your Barad’s Blanket in the mail, send us a photo and tell us how this Message of Hope lifted your spirits.
