MIKE-E’s AfroFlow Tour: Hip hop takes on the hookah

Hip hop music, fun and advocacy. Now that’s what I call perfect combination to reach young people. International hip hop artist MIKE-E is having a unique tour this year. The AfroFlow Tour started last February 6 and will have its venue in about 20 college campuses all over the country. The tour will

will use spoken word and musical performances to raise awareness about and educate students on the health risks involved with tobacco use, encourage them to avoid tobacco products, and ask students to join the American Cancer Society in its efforts to combat smoking.

19% of college students smoke, according to statistics from the American Lung Association. And the younger one starts smoking, the higher is the risk for cancer and other chronic diseases.

The tobacco industry spends more than 13 billion dollar annually on adverstisements. And yes, that is inspite of the cigarette ad ban that’s been in place for years now. And these ads are targeting those who are old enough to smoke legally but young enough to be easily persuaded. A recent example is the move of Virginia Slims to become “pink” and “chic”, a new look which is appealing to young female adults.

Other recent strategies by tobacco companies are the use of water pipes also known as hookah or sishas. There is a big misconception that water pipes are much safer than cigarette smoking because the water moisture from the pipe makes the smoke less irritating. During the last years, there has been an increase in the number of hookah bar and lounges and many of them are coincidentally? located in the vicinity of college campuses. Tobacco use is a major health concern worldwide. According to the American Cancer Society:

• In the US alone, tobacco use causes one in every five deaths.
• It accounts for 30% of all cancer mortalities.
• It accounts for 87% of lung cancer deaths.

About the artist:

MIKE-E is an international Hip-hop and spoken word recording artist, actor, philanthropist and youth motivator. He was born in Ethiopia, where he supports orphan outreach and health care programs and maintains nationwide recognition with one of the country’s most popular hits “Ethiopia (Everything Will Be Alright).

This is not the first anti-tobacco tour for MIKE-E. A similar engagement was undertaken in 2007.

Says MIKE-E:

As artists, it is a privilege to match our music with a cause that is much greater than us. We’re proud to continue our work with an organization that is truly demonstrating its commitment to serve the community through education and awareness, and taking new, innovative approaches to doing so.

 

Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytK0aTr3m2s

               

Legislative Victory for Diabetics

Check out this diabetes news item that was released from the American Diabetes Association by John E. Anderson, MD, Chair, ADA Advocacy Committee.

Legislative Updates:Major victory in fight against discrimination

People with diabetes won a major victory last week when the U.S. Senate passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Amendments Act (S. 3406) by unanimous consent. This bill ensures that people with diabetes will be judged on their ability to do their job, and not be punished for how well the disease is managed. “We applaud the U.S. Senate for passing S. 3406, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act and we appreciate and recognize the leadership of Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA), Orrin Hatch (R- UT), Edward Kennedy (D- MA), Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Senate Leadership for moving this critical legislation forward,” said Dan Kohrman, Chair of the ADA’s Legal Advocacy Subcommittee.

The problem was the narrow way the Supreme Court had construed who has a “disability” as it was defined under the ADA. As a result, a person with diabetes could be denied a job explicitly because of his or her diabetes. The employer could successfully argue that because the person did such a good job with diabetes management, he or she didn’t have a “disability” and therefore could not pursue a discrimination claim. The ADA Amendments Act corrects this problem so that people with diabetes and other chronic illnesses are once again protected from discrimination.

We aren’t done yet. This week we expect the U.S. House to vote on the Senate version of the bill, and then it will go to President Bush to be signed into law.

Other diabetic legislature you should know about, courtesy of the American Diabetes Association

Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act

The ADA supports the Diabetes Prevention Access and Care Act (S. 2983/H.R. 2210) which will promote research, treatment, and education regarding diabetes in minority populations.

Diabetes Screening and Medicaid Savings Act

The Diabetes Screening and Medicaid Savings Act (S. 755) will help families with a lower-income be able to get affordable and comprehensive medical care for their diabetes.

Diabetes Treatment and Prevention Act

This bill will increase our ability to prevent new cases of diabetes and improve disease management by providing additional funding for the Division of Diabetes Translation at the Centers for Disease Control

And you can sign up for e-alerts here, for updates on federal and state diabetes legislative action.

               

What is the Gestational Diabetes Act?

According to the American Diabetes Association, gestational diabetes affects 4% to 8% of all pregnant women, and about 135, 000 women in the United States each year. Gestational diabetes only occurs during pregnancy and glucose levels typically return to normal after pregnancy. The risk for the mother includes preeclampsia during pregnancy, while the developing fetus may be born jaundiced and hypoglycemic. There is also an associated risk that gestational diabetics and their babies will develop Type 2 diabetes in their lifetime.

The symptoms of gestational diabetes often go undetected as increased urination may be associated with pregnancy. Increased thirst is also a silent symptom. Women should be routinely tested in their 24th to 28th week of pregnancy with a glucose tolerance test. This should be done earlier if there is a history of gestational diabetes.

While any woman can have gestational diabetes there are known risk factors per the Mayo Clinic:

• Age. Women older than age 25 are at higher risk.
• Family or personal history. Your chance of developing gestational diabetes increases if a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes, or you had gestational diabetes in a prior pregnancy.
• Weight. Being overweight before pregnancy makes it more likely that you’ll develop gestational diabetes, though weight during your pregnancy doesn’t cause gestational diabetes.
• Race. While it is unknown why, you’re at increased risk if you’re black, Hispanic or American Indian.
• Previous complicated pregnancy. If you’ve had an unexplained stillbirth or a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds, you should be monitored more closely for gestational diabetes the next time you become pregnant.

For more information o see the Mayo Clinic site.

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The Legal Rights of Cancer Patients

Your rights as a cancer patient are covered by the laws listed below.

Consider this a jumping off point to your advocacy. If you are unable to self-advocate then utilize your personal advocate as recommended in the Battling Cancer archives article Patient Advocacy.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990: Basic guidelines of the ADA include:

Employers may not discriminate against a person with cancer or a history of cancer.

Employers must provide “reasonable accommodations” in the workplace for qualified employees with a disability.

An individual with a disability must be able to perform the “essential functions” of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Employers may ask only job-related medical questions.

Employers will treat all employees the same.

What is reasonable accommodation? It requires employers to modify an employee with cancer’s job responsibilities and or hours while they are undergoing treatment and beyond. This may include modification of work equipment or allowing an employee to come in late and make up the hours during treatment. Employers are not required to make changes that would require an undue hardship on the business.

Report violations of the ADA to the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, (EEOC), within 180 days of the incident.

Statistics from the EEOC, “In Fiscal Year 2006 EEOC resolved 15,708 disability discrimination charges and recovered $54.4 million in monetary benefits for charging parties and other aggrieved individuals (not including monetary benefits obtained through litigation).”

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits employers from discriminating against employees because they have cancer. This act only applies to employees of the executive branch of the federal government, as well as private and public employers who receive public funds. The Congressional Accountability Act prohibits the same discrimination practices in the legislative branch of government. Acts of discrimination in the executive branch of the federal government must be reported to the EEOC within 45 days of the incident.

The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993: The FMLA allows an employee to take unpaid leave due to a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his job or to care for a sick family member or to care for a new son or daughter (including by birth, adoption or foster care). For cancer patients, this can mean up to twelve weeks of unpaid protected leave.

Guidelines to be covered under FMLA:

You must be employed for 12 months or 1,250 hours prior to requesting leave and your work site employer must have at least 50 employees.

Resources: Information and Advocacy

The American Bar Association Breast Cancer Legal Advocacy Initiative includes information for breast cancer patients. Their ten steps to protecting the rights of breast cancer patients apply to all cancer patients when dealing with their insurance carrier. Visit their site for more details on the ten steps listed below.

1. Read your health insurance policy carefully

2. Determine if the treatment prescribed by your doctor is covered by your insurance policy

3. Find out what the appeals process is for your insurance policy

4. Consult with an expert in heath insurance law

5. Plead your case in person

6. Personalize your written case

7. Obtain copies of your medical records

8. Document everything

9. Ask your doctor to advocate for you

10 Be prepared to fight

Patient Advocate Foundation: a non-profit national organization that seeks to safeguarding patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of financial stability relative to their diagnosis. Besides providing information on legal issues they also provide personal assistance.

“Patient Advocate Foundation offers assistance to patients with specific issues they are facing with their insurer, employer and/or creditor regarding insurance, job retention and/or debt crisis matters relative to their diagnosis of life threatening or debilitating diseases.”

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship:

Be your own cancer survival advocate. Download free Cancer Survival Toolbox. “The Cancer Survival Toolbox is a free, self-learning audio program that has been developed by leading cancer organizations to help people develop important skills to better meet and understand the challenges of their illness. ” It is available online or in a free CD. Especially note section 6, Standing Up For Your Rights, which is devoted to advocacy.

American Cancer Society:

The Patient’s Bill of Rights

• Information and disclosure
• Choice of providers and plans
• Access to emergency services
• Participation in treatment decisions
• Respect and non discrimination
• Confidentiality of health information
• Right to complain and appeal

Medicare: Your Medicare Rights and Protections. In pdf from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

               

Cave Days

No matter how much you educate yourself, how much you prepare for battle in every way; there will still be days you feel like crawling into the cave and giving up.

You had those days before you had cancer and its normal to have them now.

Rules for the cave:

• Give yourself a time limit for the cave
• Get it all out. Try writing a letter you don’t send, have a good cry–whatever helps you express your grief, anger, sadness, frustration or pain
• Track back. At least do yourself the courtesy of figuring out exactly what triggered how you feel
• Rest. Battling too long without extra mental, physical and spiritual nourishment drains the warrior.
• Indulge in something that makes you feel special like silk pajamas, a hardback book, a special tea cup, or a slice of baklava

When the buzzer goes off and its time to come out of the cave- take a moment for review.

Have you activated a support team as part of your treatment plan? Do you have an advocate who can take some of the load on days when you can’t put on your battle gear? Have you cultivated friends with cancer who understand exactly what you are going through?

What about you?

Is it possible you haven’t allowed any you time in your busy schedule? Are you trying to maintain a ‘normal’ life and dealing with your ‘cancer’ life on the side. Are you trying to juggle all the balls all by yourself in an effort to not let anyone down?

Again. What about you?

Get out your calendar and plan you time.

• How about a movie that makes you smile. You can go by yourself you know. How about Nim’s Island?
• What is your favorite store? Hardware store? Bookstore? Used Clothing Boutique? Fabric Store? Art Gallery? Plan an outing around your store. Allow yourself a few hours to window shop then go for a nice cup of tea or the beverage of your choice.
• Take yourself back to your youthful innocence. What haven’t you done since you were a kid? A picnic? A trip to the zoo? Had a fudge sundae? Looked at all the pets in the window of the pet store.
• Pencil in an hour or two to laugh. How about You Tube’s Best In Jest Videos?

Now that you’re out of the cave…

I have to tell you the cave could use a little renovation. It’s depressing. Consider a new coat of paint, maybe in soothing blue tones, or calming pink.

Have you considered candles and artwork? Or posters? Let me direct you to cave wares:

• Illuminations
  
• Etsy
• All Posters
• Behr

And finally, from the archives a few post to review:

Is Anybody Out There?

Patient Advocacy

               

Friday Follow Up

Since Wednesday’s post on Cancer in the News, I’ve talked to several authors and publicists regarding books featured here. Next week, thanks to their generosity, I will be giving away books.

Until then, here is a sneak peak.

I will be giving away a copy of New York Times, best selling author, Sherryl Woods’ new release, Seaview Inn.

From Publisher’s Weekly, “New York PR exec Hannah Mathews is in remission from the same disease that claimed her mother’s life months before: breast cancer. She heads south in an attempt to persuade her 85-year-old grandma, Jenny, to sell the Seaview Inn, the Florida Keys resort owned by her family for decades, and move into a retirement home. Spry and headstrong, Grandma Jenny isn’t ready to be put out to pasture, intending to spruce up the inn and reopen for business. Hannah’s daughter Kelsey, turns up pregnant; she plans to drop out of college, live at Seaview and put her baby up for adoption. Surgeon Luke Stevens, Hannah’s high school crush, shows up shortly thereafter, fresh from a stint in war-torn Iraq and carrying his own set of emotional baggage. A seasoned romance novelist of more than 100 titles, Woods is a master heartstring puller, and her endearingly flawed characters must deal with their plethora of problems in a predictable but satisfying manner.”

Additionally, check out Sherryl’s blog, Just Between Friends, where she recently held a contest and donated funds for the Susan G. Komen:For The Cure, in honor of a survivor or in memory of a loved one who lost the fight against breast cancer, and features stories from the contest on the blog.

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Patient Advocacy

Who is your advocate?

Unfortunately, when you are feeling your worst is when you must be your most diligent. The battling cancer war includes a few small skirmishes along the way. No matter what your battle plan you should have help in the form of an advocate.

Here are just some of the reasons why.

1. Inputting information:You’ve just been diagnosed with cancer and you’re being overloaded with new terminology and massive amounts of information. Your advocate will be taking notes in the doctor’s office, at the clinic and anywhere you are introduced to new information. You can sit back and let your head spin.

2. Health care decisions: Post op, as you struggle with your nasogastric tube is not the time to wonder what your doctor said about treatment options, or where your notes are on side effects of that new pill you took or to hope you have the strength to surf the web for information. Your advocate can help you sift through information, do research and assist you in making the best decision possible for your care.

3. Your barrier: The health care advocate is the person who stands between you and the world. Your advocate is the person who gets up and approaches that intimidating clerk in the waiting room and reminds them you have been waiting an hour. They will also block the door to your room when you are napping and someone wants to scrub your floor. Enough said.

4. Mistakes happen: No one likes to discuss mistakes, especially not your caregivers. But as long as there are humans, there will be human error. Your advocate has your medical history and can double check every pill brought to you and every IV bag that is hung.

5.Dealing with red-tape: The maze of insurance and hospital bureaucratic regulations is overwhelming when you feel 100%. Let your advocate play phone tag and chase paperwork from simple pre-qualification details to following up insurance payments.

6. The squeaky wheel gets greased: Here’s a little secret from the nurse’s break room. The patient with the annoying friend who keeps pushing the call button for pain meds exactly when they are due, is likely to get the nurse’s attention first. I’m not saying this is fair but then again, the cancer patient already knows life is far from fair.

7. Hand holding: There is much to be said for the simple human touch. Consider how much time passes in the typical hospital day without human touch–real human touch, not clinical touch, as though you were inanimate. The simple squeeze of a hand communicates far more eloquently and contributes more to your recovery than words.

How to Find an Advocate:

Consider who you trust and who you would be willing to be an advocate for if roles were reversed. Sometimes several close friends are willing to share your advocacy.

Additionally there are professionals whose job is patient advocacy; these include private duty nurses. They’ll put your needs first because they are being paid to. Ask you hospital social worker or doctor if they can recommend someone.

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