Having an "I CAN" attitude

Thank you blogger for not letting me down here this morning!  I was on such a roll about faithfully posting every night before I went to bed... and then.... ta da... the template wouldn't upload properly and I was foiled last night!  So, that being said... here's the post I intended to use yesterday - and I'll still be posting another one later today designed specifically for Jan 6th - provided the template cooperates, that is!


Have you ever stopped to notice how one seemingly small action leads to all sorts of bigger, more exciting possibilities?  Being blessed - or some would say cursed - with a "can do attitude" I am used to taking on projects with all of my being.  Sometimes I know exactly what to expect; other times I only think I know what to expect.  Almost all of the time I get way more than I expected from my involvement in the project.  Like the day in October when I volunteered for RAM - Remote Area Medical.  First a little background:


I've been a nurse for over 37 years now.  More than half of that time has been dedicated to caring for oncology (cancer) patients in one setting or another.  I've just about done it all:  hospital, doctor's office, chemo infusion room, home health... I've been a staff nurse, a head nurse and a clinical educator in the oncology department. 


And, I've been the caregiver to a loved one with cancer.  My father-in-law died several years ago from lung cancer.  I was there with him through his surgery, his radiation treatment, and his Hospice care.  I was the one at his bedside the night he died.


Then, about 12 years ago, I found myself on the other side of the bedrail.  I had become an oncology patient myself.  Diagnosed with malignant melanoma, I had to switch gears entirely.  I needed to go into patient and survival mode while casting aside that professional nurse, cheerleader, caregiver side.  It was not an easy task.  In the past twelve years, I have had two bouts with the often deadly form of cancer known as melanoma.  The oncologist I used to work for always told me (when I was the nurse not the patient) that "melanoma is what gives cancer a bad name." 


Six years after the first diagnosis and surgery, I had a recurrence.  This time, it required more drastic surgery and a year's worth of immunotherapy.  Today I am more than six years out from that second surgery - and more than five years out from the completion of the immunotherapy.  I count each day as a blessing... and I count each day without a recurrence as a double blessing.


Now then... back to my original intent.  The hospital where I work encourages nurses to apply for it's "CAPS" program.   This is similar to a clinical ladder.  But, the requirements for each of the three levels are very specific and include ever-increasing amounts of community service/volunteer work, class presentations, published articles for improvement in care delivery and the like. 


It had already been determined that I would go through the necessary steps to complete CAPS Level 1 by the December 1, 2010 deadline.  And so, when I received an e-mail with a community service opportunity at RAM,  I was thrilled to be able to volunteer for such a worthy cause.  This program brings free healthcare to the underserved and is usually set up over a period of two or three days in any given location. 


Little did I realize that the specific area I'd be working in was with the Northeast Tennessee Cancer Coalition.  Our mission:  to educate folks on the need for screening for breast and cervical cancer, to guide them over to the on-site mammography unit and/or the exam areas where pap smears were being performed.  This was a double bonus!   Not only was I getting my required CAPS volunteer hours, I was doing so by doing that which came so naturally to me - educating about cancer and its prevention / early detection.


A seemingly benign conversation with the woman from the TC-2 (Tennessee Cancer Coalition) turned into something so much bigger than this RAM event.  She ignited a fire that I didn't realize had been smoldering deep within for the past twelve years.  She offered me an opportunity to become part of TC-2 which I gladly accepted.  I now sit on the survivorship and education/awareness subcommittees.   The contacts I made at the first TC-2 meeting back in November allowed me to network with a host of others who spend their lives dedicated to the cause of promoting wellness, educating about cancer and its prevention, and guiding those who are affected by cancer so that they can live with it in as normal a way as possible. 


Yesterday (Wednesday January 5th) I attended an American Cancer Society, Northeast Tennessee Legislative Breakfast.  Again, all because I was working on CAPS and that led me to RAM and that led me to TC-2.  We sat down with area legislators and discussed the goals of the TC-2, the commitments the state representatives have to promoting those goals and the support that can be had from American Cancer Society and its "sister" a citizen-based advocacy and lobbying group that works toward the common goal of ending cancer, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network - CAN for short.


Because American Cancer Society is nationwide, no matter where you live, you too have a CAN network fighting for similar goals -- eradication of cancer being top priority.   Here in Tennessee, the American Cancer Society Legislative Priorities for 2011 are:

1) Double the funding for the Tennessee Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program.  This initiative was created so that low-income and uninsured or underserved women could have access to the life-saving screenings.  The need in this region is far greater than the budgeted $1 million per year.


2) Increase the Tobacco Tax by $1.00 in an effort to make them more cost prohibitive for children and young people (who shouldn't be able to buy them in the first place but they find ways).  It has been projected that here in TN where the cigarette tax is the 12th lowest in the country, the $1 increase would prevent more than 55,000 children from becoming smokers, save more than 27,000 lives from premature smoking-related deaths, and generate more than $250 million in tax revenues.


3) Create a framework for a Colorectal Cancer Screening Program.   To date, 25 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to require insurance companies to cover colorectal cancer screenings.  Tennessee is not one of those 25 states.  With a framework in place, the state would be poised to have access to increased funding for these screenings when/if funding is made available.  And, as we all know, early detection is the key for colorectal cancer - as it is for most other forms of cancer.


If you are interested in finding out what the initiative is focused on in your own area, you can do a google search for ACS CAN and learn all sorts of information about the advocacy group CAN and about the ACS goals. 


I've created an "I CAN" page on the ACS CAN site.  You can find it here:  http://action.acscan.org/goto/LeeAmbrose   And, you can check back every now and again if you'd like because I will update it as I go along.  My own personal goal is to get the word out about CAN.  If every person who knew about it would find a small way to become involved they, in turn, could spread their word and the efforts of a few could grow exponentially. 


Wouldn't it be an amazing gift to be able to give your children or grandchildren if you could be part of an effort that would mean they'd never have to hear the words "You've got cancer?"  I think so ! 

Post Script:  I did achieve my CAPS Level 1 in December.  I have been warmly welcomed into the fold so to speak and find myself regularly in contact with other oncology professionals.  I am enrolled in a Chemo Certification Program to refresh my skills as a chemo nurse.  And, just this week an opening on day shift became available on the oncology unit... I have requested a transfer.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this position will be offered to me - but only time will tell.