LLS Survivorship Series

LLS offers free, continuing education programs via our website.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is offering an information-packed, educational Survivorship Series through the end of the year with three programs in October, November and December. This is the latest in LLS’ online educational opportunities for patients and caregivers to learn more about the illness and for healthcare professionals requiring continuing education.

Participants can log in to the LIVE webcast and will have the opportunity to ask questions in real time to noted experts and leaders in the field. If you cannot make it to these dates, please remember that LLS offers free, continuing education programs that can be accessed at any time. Log on to our website at www.lls.org/webcasts to register and receive full information about the upcoming events that can help you navigate your cancer journey equipped with the knowledge and resources to help you thrive.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2017 Why is Nutrition Important for Cancer Patients? 12:00pm ET; 11:00am CT; 10:00am MT; 9:00am PT

Learn more about:

• How good nutrition assists in promoting better treatment outcomes
• Managing side effects associated with diagnosis and treatment
• Nutrition resources for cancer patients

Speaker: Margaret Martin, RD, MS, LDN, CDE Nutrition Educator and Registered Dietitian PearlPoint Cancer Support Nashville, TN

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2017 Communicating with your Healthcare Team

12:00pm ET; 11:00am CT; 10:00am MT; 9:00am PT

Learn more about:

• Questions to ask the doctor about diagnosis and treatment 
• What you should share with your treatment team 
• How open communication can improve your quality of life

Speaker: Alison Mayer Sachs, MSW, CSW, OSW-C Director, Community Outreach & Cancer Support Services Eisenhower Lucy Curci Cancer Center at Eisenhower Medical Center Rancho Mirage, CA

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2017 Navigating the Financial Maze for Cancer Survivorship 12:00pm ET; 11:00am CT; 10:00am MT; 9:00am PT 

Learn more about: 

• The various costs associated with cancer care 
• Different types of insurance and assistance plans

Patient’s financial rights and where to get help Speaker: Joanna Fawzy Morales, Esq. CEO, Triage Cancer Culver City, CA Assistance

Please make plans to join us for these upcoming educational sessions. 

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Dawn Guerrero is the Patient Access Manager of the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and author of this monthly blog series.  She has a Masters in Business Administration and has experience working with varied aspects of the healthcare industry. 

Contact Dawn:

Dawn.Guerrero@lls.org 
972-996-5905

New Patient Services Access Manager

We are excited to introduce the new North Texas Patient Access Manager. Dawn Guerrero comes to LLS after recently completing her Masters in Business Administration degree at the local Argosy University campus here in Dallas. She has experience with multiple non profits including the Red Cross in Virginia.  Dawn will be working directly with all of our patients. She took a few minutes to answer a few questions so we can all meet her.

1. Tell us about your nonprofit background.  
For seven years I worked with the American Red Cross in Virginia running the regional stem cell donor program.  There we educated and recruited donors and then facilitated the donation process when a match was found.

2. What attracted you to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society?

When I saw the opening for Patient Access Manager, I knew it was the perfect fit for my skills and interests.  Now I can impact more lives by supporting patients directly.  
 
3. Tell us about your history in working with patients and the cancer industry.

My past experience was on the donor side of the transplant world.  My center facilitated both bone marrow transplants and peripheral blood cell transplants.  My center was one of the first centers to perform an allogeneic PBSC donation through the National Marrow Donor Program.
4. What are you most looking forward to with interacting with the North Texas Community?
Impacting lives and making sure the services that are needed in the community are readily available. 

5. What do you want people to know about you?
I grew up an avid soccer player and even played on a German women’s professional team when I was younger.  I continue my obsession with sports by now watching soccer, football, hockey and tennis as a fan. After tearing my ACL I decided to switch to a tamer sport, tennis, in order to stay active.

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Dawn Guerrero is the Patient Access Manager of the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and author of this monthly blog series.  She has a Masters in Business Administration and has experience working with varied aspects of the healthcare industry. 

Contact Dawn:

Dawn.Guerrero@lls.org 
972-996-5905

National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week

This week is National Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week.  This is a very important demographic of cancer patients for a number of reasons. Read below as we highlight the challenges this underserved group faces during and after treatment. 

Why are AYAs (adolescents & young adults) an underserved population? 

AYAs are defined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as people diagnosed with cancer when they are 15-39 years old.  This range covers a specific biological and developmental time frame that encompasses different needs than young children or older adults.   This is important because cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in 15-39 year-olds.  Since this group is in such a critical growth & reproductive phase they face a unique set of medical issues when faced with cancer.  A few examples include delays in diagnosis, limited access to required specialists, unknown responsiveness to treatments since they do not fit pediatric or adult models, concerns about the impact on future fertility/sexuality and psychological issues.  Despite this great need, AYAs have low enrollment in clinical trials due to restricted access and options.  

  

How prevalent are blood cancers in this demographic?

Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in adolescents and young adults (AYAs).  About 70,000 young people (ages 15-39) are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States – accounting for about 5 percent of cancer diagnoses in the United States. Leukemias and  lymphomas are the most common cancers among 15-24-year-olds.  

How is this group unique?

Adolescents and young adults are at a unique stage in their emotional, cognitive, and social development, which cancer often disrupts. Many younger AYAs are in the midst of taking steps to establish independence from their parents and to complete school or enter a desired career. Older AYAs are focused on ways to progress in the workforce toward a desired career goal, to find a life partner, and to raise a family. A cancer diagnosis often temporarily, and sometimes permanently, derails these plans.  

What resources do adults and young adults with cancer have at their disposal?

While there are resources for pediatric and adult oncology patients, the resources tailored to the AYA population are lacking.  This population faces many short- and long-term health and psychosocial consequences of cancer diagnosis and treatment, but many programs for cancer treatment, survivorship care, and psychosocial support do not focus on the specific needs of AYA cancer patients.  The need is noteworthy, so much so that The Institute of Medicine’s National Cancer Policy Forum convened a public workshop to identify the unique care requirements for this population.  

How is LLS helping address these needs?

The North Texas Chapter Patient Access team is currently planning an educational event this spring for this demographic.  It will provide an overview of current research geared towards AYAs and discuss how oncology programs can best suit their needs.  Additional information about this program will be released shortly.  Contact Seetha Modi with any questions.

Susan Lang Pay-it-Forward Patient Travel Assistance

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is proud to introduce the Susan Lang Pay-it-Forward Patient Travel Assistance program.  Blood cancer patients who qualify for this program will receive a credit card for their treatment-related travel expenses in an effort to help eliminate out of pocket expenses.

Patient eligibility requirements:

• Applicants (patients) must be US citizens or permanent residents which is verified by applicant's physical address; and
• Applicants must have a confirmed diagnosis of blood cancer; and
• Applicants may be insured or uninsured; and
• Applicants must meet financial eligibility criteria defined as an annual income at or below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)

A one-time grant of $500 is available for qualified patients per year:

• Awards are limited to one per patient, per year; and
• Awards are based upon first-come first-serve basis; and
• The program will be offered for as long as funding is available

Patients who qualify can learn more about the program and APPLY HERE.

About Susan Lang:

At a young age, Susan Lang was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).  At a difficult time in Susan’s journey, the seemingly impossible happened. Her family received much needed financial assistance from friends, neighbors and even people she did not know. Unfortunately, Susan died at the age of 14. Since her passing, Susan’s family committed to “paying it forward,” and has supported LLS in their New Jersey community, to help other patients and families dealing with blood cancers. Now, through an act of great generosity, Susan’s family has made it possible to provide assistance to more patients through the LLS Patient Travel Assistance Program.

Patient Access Manager: New PCR Testing Financial Assistance

If you have chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), your doctor may order a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) blood test.  This test can find a very small number of CML cells in your blood which can help your doctor know if your CML is under control.   Here is a video that provides more information about this test and how it used: http://www.lls.org/patient-education-videos/chronic-myeloid-leukemia-cml-the-role-of-pcr-testing

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is pleased to announce the opening of The LLS PCR Testing Financial Assistance and Awareness Program for patients with CML. Approved patients may receive up to $1,000 of financial assistance for out-of-pocket costs directly related to PCR testing during their enrollment period. As part of the program, enrolled patients will receive support from a program facilitator, who will provide education and address barriers to testing. Acceptance into the program will be first-come first-served and based on financial eligibility.  

To be eligible for PCR Testing Financial Assistance, you must have a chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) diagnosis, be a United States citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. or Puerto Rico and have a household income that is at or below 500 percent of the U.S. federal poverty guidelines as adjusted by the Cost of Living Index (Click here to estimate).  For more information or to apply, please visit the website www.LLS.org/PCR or call 1-877-614-9242. 

Feel free to reach out to me directly if you would like more information about this exciting new initiative.

Your friend,

Seetha

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Seetha Modi is the Patient Access Manager of the North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and author of this monthly blog series.  She has an Masters in Public Health and has experience working with varied aspects of the healthcare industry, including hospitals, the CDC and other health-related nonprofit organizations.

Contact Seetha:

Seetha.Modi@lls.org

(972) 996-5905

Texas Instruments Gift

Corporate culture is king at Texas Instruments (TI).  The Dallas-based technology company fondly calls its employees TI-ers and strives to create an atmosphere of inclusion, respect, and personal investment among its international workforce.  In late 2003 when Raj Gupta, a popular member of its analog marketing team, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the company took notice and supported him through his personal battle.  Sadly, Gupta lost his personal battle in 2004 and Texas Instruments lost a valued employee and friend.

To honor his memory, TI created the Raj Gupta Marketing Excellence Award which recognizes marketing excellence by analog employees and rewards individual contributions to successful marketing.  In addition to the award, Texas Instruments pledged to make an annual contribution of $10,000 in Raj's name to a Dallas nonprofit cancer organization.

The North Texas Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) has been a recipient of this generous award every year since 2008.  Texas Instruments directs this donation to the chapter's Patient Access Programs which provide direct financial assistance, education and referral services to blood cancer patients across the North Texas region.

Since 2008, Texas Instruments has given a total of $70,000 to LLS in Gupta's memory.

"Gifts of this kind are truly remarkable," says Patricia Thomson, Executive Director of the North Texas Chapter of LLS.  "Texas Instruments' annual grant is making a real impact in our communities, as we fund cutting-edge blood cancer research, educating medical professionals, and provide co-pay assistance to patients with the most financial need."

LLS provided financial aid to more than 30 thousand people last year and distributed more than one million free educational materials to patients.  In addition to financial support and education, LLS invests heavily in research.  In the last year alone, LLS funded approximately $70 million in research, second only to the United States Government.

LLS is thankful to Texas Instrument and its generous support of LLS.  "Their impact in the North Texas community is real, and is key in helping to find a cure for blood cancers in our lifetime," says Thomson.