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A young cancer survivor.

Cancer as a Young Adult: Know Your Rights and Options 

Written by: Kathryn J. Strobach, Esq., MSW | Staff Attorney at Triage Cancer  Getting a cancer diagnosis as a young adult can feel like your life just hit pause. You might be juggling school, starting a career, figuring out finances, or building relationships, and now you are also dealing with treatment, insurance, and major health decisions.  Cancer can affect nearly…

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Water testing supplies available through Nitrate Watch

The Power of Community Science: Nitrate Watch

Written by: Heather Wilson, Midwest Save Our Streams Coordinator for the Izaak Walton League of America In the past few years, the topic of nitrate pollution has elevated from an obscure environmental issue to a topic of dinner table conversation for many Iowans. High profile events like the lawn-watering ban issued by Central Iowa Water…

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Finding My Local Young Adult Cancer Community 

Written by Emily Hoffman  When I finished chemo and radiation treatment for cervical cancer at age 30, I felt so alone. I didn’t know any other cancer patients who were my age. I kept wondering where all the other young adult (YA) cancer survivors were. And did they feel as lost and misunderstood as I did?   Craving community, I started searching online…

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Beyond Take Back Day: Turning Medication Waste into Access for Iowans with Cancer 

By Kenzie Harder, PharmD, Director of Pharmacy at SafeNetRx  On April 25, communities across Iowa will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, led by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The message is clear and important: safely dispose of unused medications to prevent misuse, accidental poisoning, and environmental harm.  That message matters.  But for some Iowans living with cancer,…

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A Mom’s Fight from the Inside Out

Written by Angela Webb  My world changed last March 2025, when I was just 42 years old. I thought that the doctor was bringing me a Sprite after my first colonoscopy, but he brought me a cancer diagnosis instead.   I had been having symptoms of constipation and diarrhea for a while, but these symptoms kept getting explained away as side effects of motherhood or the medications…

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Women getting ready for her mammogram.

Women’s Health, Cancer Prevention, and the Heart of Iowa

Written by Kaylara Hoadley, CMA (AAMA), Member of Iowa Cancer Consortium  Every March, Women’s History Month invites us to reflect on the strength, resilience, and leadership of women.  In Iowa, one of the most meaningful ways to honor that history is by talking honestly about women’s health and cancer prevention.  I have worked as a certified medical…

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Cancer Caregiving: Recognizing the Work That Continues

By Kathy Koenig, M.S., Grief Educator & Caregiver Consultant, Richard Deming Cancer Center   “I can picture the moment. Life had changed forever. There were big fears of the unknown, and I started telling myself a story while also looking for people to fill in the gaps. What happens now? Answers weren’t forthcoming.”   I’ve heard versions of this moment from caregivers many times. The diagnosis…

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Caring for Siblings is Caring for Childhood Cancer

By Mark Rheaume February 15. Some calendars will call it “International Childhood Cancer Day.” My own calendar reminds me that in ten days, my brother will have been dead for a year. Matthew died of cancer. He had it as a child, as a young man, and through most of his 36th year. I admit,…

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