Blog

5 Takeaways from the 2021 Spring Meeting

Written by: Rachel Schramm The Iowa Cancer Consortium’s annual Spring Meeting was held virtually on May 10-11, 2021. The event featured a 3-hour training by our friends at the Racial Equity Institute, as well as a 2-hour member meeting. Making the best of pandemic Zoom meetings, we laughed, we cried, and we learned from one…

Cancer Health Disparities

By: Michele West, PhD; Amanda Kahl, MPH; Suzanne Bentler, PhD; and Mary Charlton, PhD The special section in the Cancer in Iowa 2021 report featured racial/ethnic cancer disparities in Iowa. This year we examined the cancer experience of Iowans according to the following racial/ethnic groups: non-Hispanic (NH) White, NH Black, other races including NH Asian/Pacific…

Compassionate Conversations with Dr. Richard Deming

There are two common themes that resonate with patients, survivors, family members and friends after a conversation with Dr. Richard Deming, Medical Director of MercyOne Des Moines Cancer Center and Founder of Above + Beyond Cancer: joy and compassion. Born from Collaboration In 2009, the MercyOne Cancer Education Series developed as a collaborative effort between…

Living Proof Exhibit is “Getting the Arts in the Hands of People Who Need It”

By: Kelly Hendershot, LMSW, LSW Art-to-Go boxes are a hallmark of Living Proof Exhibit  — more about this fabulous organization in a moment — that pre-date the pandemic, but they certainly offered a new appeal starting in March 2020. Due to increased feelings of loneliness and isolation caused by COVID-19, the boxes helped reduce stress.…

Meet Liz Orton, Outreach Coordinator

Hello, my name is Liz Orton. I am so excited to join the Iowa Cancer Consortium as their new Outreach Coordinator. Outreach, equity, and being some small part of positive change are the things that light my fire. I am so honored to be able to work in a job that incorporates these elements. My…

Above + Beyond Cancer Hotel Program

By: Kelsey Parker Above + Beyond Cancer has one key focus – to elevate the lives of those touched by cancer. Getting the best cancer cares sometimes means cancer patients must travel away from home. Many patients are already paying very high medical bills so supporting cancer patients through the Hotel Program by providing as-needed,…

Caregiver Huddles: Balancing Emotional Health & Connecting with Others

By: Carolyn Ettinger Hi. I am Carolyn Ettinger, the Executive Director at Wings of Hope Cancer Support Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I am also a cancer survivor. This is my personal story of growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and my tribute to the virtual mental health programming that the Iowa Cancer Consortium helped support…

2021 ACS CAN Iowa Virtual Day at the Capitol Recap

By: Bridget Toomey, MS, CPC The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we live our lives. Consequently, there is no exception to the work of cancer advocates. For example, traditional in-person lobbying efforts have proven time and time again to be an effective way for cancer advocates to get their messages across. However, the same…

All of Me Iowa Project Aims to Close Patient-Provider Communication Gap

By: Chelsea Keenan Priest and Erin Sullivan Wagner While sexual health may be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind when receiving  a cancer diagnosis, it’s a vital component of a survivor’s life once treatment ends. Subsequently, the mental, physical, and emotional consequences of treatment can greatly impact sexual health and intimacy. Patients are unsure of…

Denial

By: Anthony Damrow, Des Moines, Iowa “It’s probably just a hemorrhoid,” my primary care physician said in response to my concern that there had been some blood in my stool. “Don’t worry about it. See you next year!” Luckily, I continued to press the matter and he agreed to order a colonoscopy. I remember waking…