Wellbeing
November 15, 2010
Last week’s meeting with the NFL provided a good introduction and a measured step forward.
I have to admit, my tactics last week in procuring a meeting with the NFL to discuss equal opportunity awareness for prostate cancer might have resembled, to some extent, a Michael Moore movie. In the very least, it felt like a chapter out of Leonard Wibberly’s 1955 Cold War satire, The Mouse That Roared.
Although the meeting started out a bit tense, I can’t blame my hosts. I did show up with three other prostate cancer advocates: Dr. Stanley Frencher from the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program, Joel Nowak who heads up the prostate cancer program for MaleCare, and Sherry Galloway, RN, who lost her son to prostate cancer when he was just 36 years old. Sherry is also a Board member of ZERO, The Project to End Prostate Cancer. We did have only one chance to be heard. In addition to the 4,200 petition signatures I had to present, I wanted to be sure that the NFL community programs team was able to hear a spectrum of views and support for the NFL to raise awareness of this disease that is expected to kill more than 32,000 American men this year.
As a unified advocacy team, we lauded the NFL for their efforts on behalf of breast cancer and thanked them for supporting the American Urologic Association’s (AUA) Know Your Stats campaign. But, we reiterated that we need to raise the level of awareness efforts by executing a NFL ”blue-ification” program so that men and their loved ones will more effectively get the message. After all, you can’t capture their attention until you visually touch their sport: “Hey… what’s that? Why are they wearing all that blue stuff…?”
The final result of the meeting is that we were all able to share our perspectives and agreed that 1.) we can’t expect to build a similar level of awareness overnight, 2.) the logical place to start is by building on the Know Your Stats program, amplifying the message and visual impact for awareness, 3.) collectively, we share resources that can actually assist the NFL in “blueing up” for focusing more attention on the problem of prostate cancer. With this in mind, we agreed to set up a prostate cancer advisory board and to schedule a meeting with the NFL and the AUA in March of 2011. I will be following up with my counterpart at the AUA this week.
Much was actually accomplished in the 40 minute meeting. I am sure that with the sincere work of all involved, we can be successful in someday soon seeing enhanced support for prostate cancer within the NFL. In the end I believe my tactics were validated and I was given a sympathetic dose of absolution by our hosts.
Last week, there were two articles published on the campaign for equal opportunity awareness at the NFL. One ran on the Santa Monica Daily Press. The other was An Open Letter to the NFL: Why We Can’t Neglect Prostate Cancer. It was penned by Gabe Canales, a recently diagnosed 35-year-old man from Houston. His letter ran in the Huffington Post and in Sunday’s Houston Chronicle.
Play executed. Progress made. Thank you to all who signed the petition, my fellow advocates who joined me for the meeting, our new friends at the NFL and to the AUA for working so hard to give us a solid foundation we can all build upon.
I will continue to report our progress as we move forward. But for now, I am ready to take a cat nap and work at shedding some of the side effects of treatment.
------------------------------
November 9, 2010
If you asked me seven weeks ago, I would have told you that it seemed as if I would never make it to this day. But I did, and I’m smiling from ear to ear. Granted, the last few days have been my worst in terms of being tired as a result of the radiation (in fact, I am ready for a nap right now…), but I know it’s all up from here. Add that to my promising PSA news from last week, and I have absolutely no complaints! Now, I am off to New York and look forward to my meeting with the NFL on Wednesday.
But first, I have to express my extreme appreciation to the entire staff of professionals at the Providence Little Company of Mary Radiation Oncology Center. They were a wonderful team to have at my side. Their compassionate care standards made my daily visits comfortable and easier than I would have imagined. While I hope to never have to schedule a medical appointment with them again, I will stop in occasionally to say hello when I am in the neighborhood. Individuals working in oncology love to see their former patients walking in through their door and not needing their medical skills further. In my emotional farewell this morning, I promised them that I would indeed stay in touch. It’s the least I can do for everything they have done so well on my behalf.
Another milestone down. With a few years of hormone therapy left to go, I remain focused on hearing the words “cancer free” applied to me in five years.
In an odd sort of way, I will miss the ongoing deluge of questions asking me about my urinary and bowel behaviors, as well as my eating habits and pain levels. I remember one session when one of the care nurses leaned over and asked “Are you ok…? Is there anything else?” The look on her face was so intense and the tone in her voice so searching, I couldn’t decipher what the correct answer should be. For a minute I thought I was in a psych evaluation and could only blurt out with a laugh… “I’m fine… really. It’s all par for the course and I’m not having dark suicidal thoughts. That would be counterproductive to our efforts, wouldn’t it?” In retrospect, I think she was just probing to see if I needed anything stronger than the recommended daily doses of Metamucil. In spite of it all, there have been many moments of levity shared with my caretakers.
Tomorrow, I will be delivering nearly 4,000 signatures from those who signed the petition to the NFL. Many thanks to all of those who signed it. I will keep you posted on the dialogue and am hoping that it will open the door to continued discussions. But, for now, I am unbuckling my emotional radiation seatbelt and trading it in for a more mundane restraint device. Compared to the turbulence of the past few months, I can easily take a few unexpected bumps at 38,000 feet while heading east.
------------------------------
October 31, 2010
On November 10, I will have 30 minutes to make the case for awareness parity for this men’s cancer.
Shortly after sending a few emails to the NFL last week and blogging about the disparity between pink and blue on Thursday, I heard from several execs at the NFL’s headquarters in New York. We now have a date and time for a meeting. I am both pleased and surprised. But then again, how can you say no to a heartfelt plea from someone with Stage 4 cancer?
If this cancer diagnosis can unlock doors for important discussions, so be it. Score a goal for the silver lining team.
One email from the NFL outlined that it has provided some support for campaigns such the Know Your Stats campaign. It had a decent level of exposure last year. This year it shows up in some places but it appears to be in need of a boost. Not to be misunderstood, this type of on the sidelines support is helpful, but prostate cancer blue needs to be on the field and in the stadiums in every way that breast cancer pink has been for some time.
I would guess that during televised commercial breaks many men are busy arguing in defense of their team, running to the head or grabbing another beer. If we are to capture their attention, we need to tell them repeatedly and we need to put a highly visible reminder right in front of their faces. When they ask: “Hey… why is everything blue out on that field? What’s with the blue cleats…?” That’s when the discussions begin. Touch the game directly and you will reach the male viewers (and their partners) directly.
For the record, I am not the only one who would welcome an NFL splash of blue next September. I am seeing more blogs and articles on the topic. I know every prostate cancer advocacy group is asking “…why not? …what about us?” Today’s Omaha World Herald reported on the pinkification of football and our efforts to curry some favor and help from the NFL. As I have said many times: prostate cancer is to men what breast cancer is to women. One out of six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. One out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Isn’t it logical to want to protect America’s families equally?
I am grateful to the NFL for setting some time aside to meet with me next week. I look forward to a meaningful discussion and hope that we’ll be abe to turn up the blue and together save lives.
------------------------------
October 28, 2010
Opening the discussion on seeing blue in the NFL each September would be a perfect finishing note.
In a week and a half, I will be finished with my 36 radiation sessions. Already, I am down to receiving six beams per session instead of ten. Even though it will take a few weeks for the pelvic pains, fatigue, nausea, and a spectrum of changes in bodily functions to subside (I’ll spare you the details), the week of November 8 will call for a celebration.
That week I will be leaving for New York on business and will also have the honor of accompanying my 87-year-old father to a formal Marine Corps Birthday Dinner at the Union League Club. Some readers might recall my post on how my diagnosis and blog made it possible for me to learn an amazing fact about my dad.
While in New York, I would really like to have a meeting with the NFL to discuss how we can build more prostate cancer awareness, akin to their efforts on behalf of breast cancer. I would also like to hand deliver the signed petitions asking for the league’s support. That would be a celebration!
Yesterday, I e-mailed several communications and PR executives at the NFL. Here is what I wrote:
Prostate cancer is taking the lives of more than 32,000 American men this year. Over 218,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2010. By 2015, that number could exceed 300,000. Nearly 2.5 million American men and their families are currently affected by this disease and prostate Cancer is to men what breast cancer is to women. Yet, compared to the support given to breast cancer, there is little mention or awareness effort made by the NFL for this major men’s health crisis.
We applaud the NFL’s efforts for America’s women (and men who will be diagnosed with breast cancer). However, I would like to explore ways we can work on some equal opportunity awareness efforts for American men. After all, we need our fathers and sons AND our moms and daughters. Rosey Grier, one of the NFL’s Fearsome Foursome, former NFL player Bucky Dilts, and America’s leading prostate cancer organizations are supportive of such an effort.
I will be in New York November 10 and 11 and would welcome an hour of your time to discuss how we might be able to raise awareness and help save lives. I would also like to deliver more than 3,200 signatures asking the NFL to support prostate cancer awareness…
I would welcome some added weight in my carry-on bag. If you haven’t already signed the petition or shared it with your friends, please do so as soon as possible. Every signature is important.
Last week’s meeting with the NFL provided a good introduction and a measured step forward.
I have to admit, my tactics last week in procuring a meeting with the NFL to discuss equal opportunity awareness for prostate cancer might have resembled, to some extent, a Michael Moore movie. In the very least, it felt like a chapter out of Leonard Wibberly’s 1955 Cold War satire, The Mouse That Roared.
Although the meeting started out a bit tense, I can’t blame my hosts. I did show up with three other prostate cancer advocates: Dr. Stanley Frencher from the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program, Joel Nowak who heads up the prostate cancer program for MaleCare, and Sherry Galloway, RN, who lost her son to prostate cancer when he was just 36 years old. Sherry is also a Board member of ZERO, The Project to End Prostate Cancer. We did have only one chance to be heard. In addition to the 4,200 petition signatures I had to present, I wanted to be sure that the NFL community programs team was able to hear a spectrum of views and support for the NFL to raise awareness of this disease that is expected to kill more than 32,000 American men this year.
As a unified advocacy team, we lauded the NFL for their efforts on behalf of breast cancer and thanked them for supporting the American Urologic Association’s (AUA) Know Your Stats campaign. But, we reiterated that we need to raise the level of awareness efforts by executing a NFL ”blue-ification” program so that men and their loved ones will more effectively get the message. After all, you can’t capture their attention until you visually touch their sport: “Hey… what’s that? Why are they wearing all that blue stuff…?”
The final result of the meeting is that we were all able to share our perspectives and agreed that 1.) we can’t expect to build a similar level of awareness overnight, 2.) the logical place to start is by building on the Know Your Stats program, amplifying the message and visual impact for awareness, 3.) collectively, we share resources that can actually assist the NFL in “blueing up” for focusing more attention on the problem of prostate cancer. With this in mind, we agreed to set up a prostate cancer advisory board and to schedule a meeting with the NFL and the AUA in March of 2011. I will be following up with my counterpart at the AUA this week.
Much was actually accomplished in the 40 minute meeting. I am sure that with the sincere work of all involved, we can be successful in someday soon seeing enhanced support for prostate cancer within the NFL. In the end I believe my tactics were validated and I was given a sympathetic dose of absolution by our hosts.
Last week, there were two articles published on the campaign for equal opportunity awareness at the NFL. One ran on the Santa Monica Daily Press. The other was An Open Letter to the NFL: Why We Can’t Neglect Prostate Cancer. It was penned by Gabe Canales, a recently diagnosed 35-year-old man from Houston. His letter ran in the Huffington Post and in Sunday’s Houston Chronicle.
Play executed. Progress made. Thank you to all who signed the petition, my fellow advocates who joined me for the meeting, our new friends at the NFL and to the AUA for working so hard to give us a solid foundation we can all build upon.
I will continue to report our progress as we move forward. But for now, I am ready to take a cat nap and work at shedding some of the side effects of treatment.
------------------------------
November 9, 2010
If you asked me seven weeks ago, I would have told you that it seemed as if I would never make it to this day. But I did, and I’m smiling from ear to ear. Granted, the last few days have been my worst in terms of being tired as a result of the radiation (in fact, I am ready for a nap right now…), but I know it’s all up from here. Add that to my promising PSA news from last week, and I have absolutely no complaints! Now, I am off to New York and look forward to my meeting with the NFL on Wednesday.
But first, I have to express my extreme appreciation to the entire staff of professionals at the Providence Little Company of Mary Radiation Oncology Center. They were a wonderful team to have at my side. Their compassionate care standards made my daily visits comfortable and easier than I would have imagined. While I hope to never have to schedule a medical appointment with them again, I will stop in occasionally to say hello when I am in the neighborhood. Individuals working in oncology love to see their former patients walking in through their door and not needing their medical skills further. In my emotional farewell this morning, I promised them that I would indeed stay in touch. It’s the least I can do for everything they have done so well on my behalf.
Another milestone down. With a few years of hormone therapy left to go, I remain focused on hearing the words “cancer free” applied to me in five years.
In an odd sort of way, I will miss the ongoing deluge of questions asking me about my urinary and bowel behaviors, as well as my eating habits and pain levels. I remember one session when one of the care nurses leaned over and asked “Are you ok…? Is there anything else?” The look on her face was so intense and the tone in her voice so searching, I couldn’t decipher what the correct answer should be. For a minute I thought I was in a psych evaluation and could only blurt out with a laugh… “I’m fine… really. It’s all par for the course and I’m not having dark suicidal thoughts. That would be counterproductive to our efforts, wouldn’t it?” In retrospect, I think she was just probing to see if I needed anything stronger than the recommended daily doses of Metamucil. In spite of it all, there have been many moments of levity shared with my caretakers.
Tomorrow, I will be delivering nearly 4,000 signatures from those who signed the petition to the NFL. Many thanks to all of those who signed it. I will keep you posted on the dialogue and am hoping that it will open the door to continued discussions. But, for now, I am unbuckling my emotional radiation seatbelt and trading it in for a more mundane restraint device. Compared to the turbulence of the past few months, I can easily take a few unexpected bumps at 38,000 feet while heading east.
------------------------------
October 31, 2010
On November 10, I will have 30 minutes to make the case for awareness parity for this men’s cancer.
Shortly after sending a few emails to the NFL last week and blogging about the disparity between pink and blue on Thursday, I heard from several execs at the NFL’s headquarters in New York. We now have a date and time for a meeting. I am both pleased and surprised. But then again, how can you say no to a heartfelt plea from someone with Stage 4 cancer?
If this cancer diagnosis can unlock doors for important discussions, so be it. Score a goal for the silver lining team.
One email from the NFL outlined that it has provided some support for campaigns such the Know Your Stats campaign. It had a decent level of exposure last year. This year it shows up in some places but it appears to be in need of a boost. Not to be misunderstood, this type of on the sidelines support is helpful, but prostate cancer blue needs to be on the field and in the stadiums in every way that breast cancer pink has been for some time.
I would guess that during televised commercial breaks many men are busy arguing in defense of their team, running to the head or grabbing another beer. If we are to capture their attention, we need to tell them repeatedly and we need to put a highly visible reminder right in front of their faces. When they ask: “Hey… why is everything blue out on that field? What’s with the blue cleats…?” That’s when the discussions begin. Touch the game directly and you will reach the male viewers (and their partners) directly.
For the record, I am not the only one who would welcome an NFL splash of blue next September. I am seeing more blogs and articles on the topic. I know every prostate cancer advocacy group is asking “…why not? …what about us?” Today’s Omaha World Herald reported on the pinkification of football and our efforts to curry some favor and help from the NFL. As I have said many times: prostate cancer is to men what breast cancer is to women. One out of six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. One out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Isn’t it logical to want to protect America’s families equally?
I am grateful to the NFL for setting some time aside to meet with me next week. I look forward to a meaningful discussion and hope that we’ll be abe to turn up the blue and together save lives.
------------------------------
October 28, 2010
Opening the discussion on seeing blue in the NFL each September would be a perfect finishing note.
In a week and a half, I will be finished with my 36 radiation sessions. Already, I am down to receiving six beams per session instead of ten. Even though it will take a few weeks for the pelvic pains, fatigue, nausea, and a spectrum of changes in bodily functions to subside (I’ll spare you the details), the week of November 8 will call for a celebration.
That week I will be leaving for New York on business and will also have the honor of accompanying my 87-year-old father to a formal Marine Corps Birthday Dinner at the Union League Club. Some readers might recall my post on how my diagnosis and blog made it possible for me to learn an amazing fact about my dad.
While in New York, I would really like to have a meeting with the NFL to discuss how we can build more prostate cancer awareness, akin to their efforts on behalf of breast cancer. I would also like to hand deliver the signed petitions asking for the league’s support. That would be a celebration!
Yesterday, I e-mailed several communications and PR executives at the NFL. Here is what I wrote:
Prostate cancer is taking the lives of more than 32,000 American men this year. Over 218,000 new cases will be diagnosed in 2010. By 2015, that number could exceed 300,000. Nearly 2.5 million American men and their families are currently affected by this disease and prostate Cancer is to men what breast cancer is to women. Yet, compared to the support given to breast cancer, there is little mention or awareness effort made by the NFL for this major men’s health crisis.
We applaud the NFL’s efforts for America’s women (and men who will be diagnosed with breast cancer). However, I would like to explore ways we can work on some equal opportunity awareness efforts for American men. After all, we need our fathers and sons AND our moms and daughters. Rosey Grier, one of the NFL’s Fearsome Foursome, former NFL player Bucky Dilts, and America’s leading prostate cancer organizations are supportive of such an effort.
I will be in New York November 10 and 11 and would welcome an hour of your time to discuss how we might be able to raise awareness and help save lives. I would also like to deliver more than 3,200 signatures asking the NFL to support prostate cancer awareness…
I would welcome some added weight in my carry-on bag. If you haven’t already signed the petition or shared it with your friends, please do so as soon as possible. Every signature is important.