I want to give everyone a heads up about a groundswell we are starting. Too
many docs don't fight for people when they are diagnosed at stage IV. So
we, CCNet, are collecting up letters from people who have been diagnosed at
stage IV that we can share at medical conferences, workshops, and any other
interactions we have with docs.

If you are past your treatment and want to help educate this docs about the
fact that there are people who survive at every stage - send a letter to us.
Address your letter to something like Dear Doctors, Dear Oncologist, etc.
Tell your story. It is really helpful to include your age and the year you
were diagnosed. On the back of the letter you must put your signature and a
note that CCNetwork has your permission to use this letter in its efforts to
advocate for patients. We won't use any letters that do not expressly
give permission to do so. Privacy is paramount. People write to us and
tell their stories all the time. We have to have permission before we will
share one single thing that someone has shared. You need to either sign
your first name, your initial and lastname, or your whole name. Preferably
with city and state as well BUT only as much as you are comfortable with. I
can't promise your neighbor won't see the letter somewhere in our use of it
so you must be comfortable with how much you are revealing. For some that
is nothing and that is absolutely fine. This is after all about regaining
one's life with quality. But if you are comfortable with sharing your
story, this may really save lives. Docs need to understand that just
because the prognosis is bad doesn't mean the fight is over or that it isn't
worth fighting.

Anyway... thanks for listening. Thanks for considering this request.

Priscilla Savary
Colorectal Cancer Network
PO Box 182, Kensington, MD 20895-0182
301-879-1500
CCNetwork@...
http://www.colorectal-cancer.net
"Inform ~ Empower ~ Connect"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"There are only two ways to live your life - one is as if everything
is a miracle, the other is as though nothing is a miracle. " - Albert
Einstein (1879 - 1955) Physicist