Colorectal Cancer Alliance shared on LinkedIn:
” ‘When people reach the Alliance’s cancer care team – usually through our helpline – they’re often surprised to hear a real, human voice on the other end. What they don’t always realize is how personal this work is to me.
I’m a social worker with a master’s degree, and I’ve spent my career helping people through the hardest moments of their lives. But my path to the Alliance started at home. In high school, a family member’s cancer diagnosis showed me the kind of professional I wanted to become – a helper. Years later, while I was working as a hospital case manager, my dad was diagnosed with stage IV colorectal cancer that had already spread to his liver. That was nearly 10 years ago, and his doctors considered him terminal from the start.
As my family navigated financial barriers, second opinions, and the scramble to make sense of clinical trials, I learned firsthand how much expert support matters. My dad passed away two years later, just before the pandemic. Not long after, I found the Alliance. It felt like fate.
Here, I found my people – a team as determined as I am to end this disease. I’m one of several trained professionals on our cancer care team, alongside specialists in oncology social work, public health, and nursing. We follow a careful, structured process for everyone who reaches out, asking questions to anticipate barriers and share helpful resources.
Last year, our team navigated more than 10,000 people. They come to us for help understanding screening options, treatment paths, and ways to live well with this disease. Sometimes, they simply want to be heard. Every person is different, so we meet them where they are. Whatever they need, our job is to clear the barriers so they can focus on getting better.
Cancer doesn’t discriminate. Whether someone’s young or old, whether they have everything or nothing at all, every person deserves a place to turn. That place, the Alliance, exists because of our donors, volunteers, advocates, and partners. You all make it possible for a real person to answer the phone.
– Paige E.’
Learn more about Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s resources by visiting the website, or give them a call on their free helpline at 877-422-2030.”
Other articles about Colorectal Cancer Alliance on OncoDaily.
