by Josh on January 25, 2010
When was the last time you walked into your local pharmacy and had a genuine and meaningful conversation with your pharmacist? Most of us don’t have this type of relationship with our pharmacist, where they take a vested interest in our health and go the extra mile. I believe it is important to have this level of care… and this is where my good friend Lois Adams and the one of a kind Freedom Pharmacy team comes in. Freedom Pharmacy and Wellness Center have been providing specialty retail pharmacy services since 1984. What makes them so unique is their passion to “provide top quality pharmaceutical products and services as part of a complete ‘Circle of Care’ for each patient.”
Their exclusive service, ‘Circle of Care,’ treats patients as a team effort consisting of a pharmacist, a physician, a nurse and reimbursement specialist. Freedom Pharmacy strongly believes that people with chronic diseases obtain the greatest benefit when all caregivers involved communicate with each other on a consistent basis…which as an ex-cancer patient, I know is crucial to getting quality care! Heck, I’m going to go ahead and say communication is paramount in all aspects of life and health.
On Monday, The New Jersey Legislature approved a measure that will legalize marijuana for medical use by those with chronic illnesses like cancer, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gherig’s Disease and AIDS. This move makes New Jersey one of the few east coast states to take such action, and only the 14th state to pass such legislation.Within 9 months, the state plans to have 6 dispensaries in which cancer patients can receive prescribed doses of medical marijuana from their doctors. It will be interesting to see the reaction from Oncologists in New Jersey over the next few weeks as opponents of the bill voice their opinion.
The benefits of medical marijuana for cancer patients (and the side effects associated with treatment) include:
- helping with appetite loss
- suppressing nausea & vomitting
- pain relief
You can also check the American Cancer Society’s page on Marijuana Use in Supportive Care for Cancer Patients for more detailed info.
While cancer is certainly not a new disease, the new generation of tech savvy volunteers building fund raising, forums and awareness for cancer research is. With over 320 million Facebook profiles, 18 million Twitter users, and 35 million LinkedIn professionals, you can’t deny the power of spreading a message through online social networks. Here are some of the best examples to date:
Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with cancer in May of 2009 and decided to publicly challenge the social media community to help find a cure to cancer. His current effort, using the hashtag on Twitter #blamedrewscancer, is currently used as an excuse for anything that goes wrong for Drew’s followers on a day-to-day basis. Drew’s goal is to get sponsorship for each tweet using the hashtag for $1/ tweet.
Ethan Zohn, a reality TV star from the CBS show Survivor has joined Drew’s fundraising efforts. Together, Drew and Ethan have generated over 35,000 blame tweets- with topics varying from medical issues to computer malfunctions and potty training problems.
by Josh on January 5, 2010
I am very excited to announce Know Cancer’s partnership with Possibility Pictures on their film “Letters to God!” The movie is about a young boy’s battle with cancer who finds strength and hope in writing letters to God. Created by the team who made Facing the Giants and Fireproof (which was voted the #1 independent film of 2008), the movie is destined for greatness. Know Cancer is proud to be the official cancer social network for moviegoers looking for post-movie support.
There is a little story to tell about how Know Cancer linked up with the incredible Letters to God (LTG) team. It all started about two years ago, when a good friend of mine Trina Harmon (world renowned songwriter and life/music coach) asked me to meet her in Nashville to help write a very special song. The song was for Tyson Beusenbark, a 17 year old boy who at the time was dealing with an exceptionally aggressive form of cancer. He wished for a song that would bring his mother hope in the most difficult times. When we talked to Tyson that day we could feel his strength and the “never give up” attitude pour out of him. After our conversation, Trina, Jason Deere and I wrote his song “Everything is Beautiful,” a song that would help us all to see the beauty beneath the façade of hardship. Looking back, it was undoubtedly one of the most memorable days of my life. Unfortunately, on August 1st 2008…Tyson passed away. His spirit will remain in the hearts and minds of all of us.
by Josh on December 18, 2009
Exciting times in KC world! We are officially celebrating Know Cancer’s 1st Birthday!!! It’s hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the KC concept was hatched…and what an incredibly rewarding year it has been. On behalf of the Know Cancer team we thank all of you so much for your support. On a personal level, I am eternally thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this movement—but I am even more grateful to know the people behind the movement.
