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| Empowering patients, advocates, families, and their support networks. |
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Dear John,
To save lives, we have to run into the fire.
As director of breast radiation oncology at Lankenau Medical Center, I’m going into the hospital each day. There, we’re doing our best to treat all of our breast cancer patients with as much care and continuity as possible.
It’s been rough. COVID19 has added pandemic anxiety on top of cancer-related fears, and often, patients are forced to go it alone, with medical centers restricting access to patients only, many are without a loved one by their side in the hospital. Plus, many patients live alone, and are now physically isolated and often, socially isolated as well. The doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, office personnel, and cleaning teams are all very committed, but we are also very worried about the care and safety of our patients and ourselves.
But we have to keep running.
My deep concern for all people dealing with breast cancer runs 24/7/365 at Breastcancer.org, as the founder and chief medical officer—and as a breast cancer survivor myself. Breastcancer.org is here for people grappling with urgent complex questions and seeking support from each other while stuck at home, often isolated. Questions and worries about postponed surgeries, limited or no available reconstruction options after mastectomy, interrupted treatment plans if you become sick with COVID19 or if you’re sick and you’re waiting for your COVID19 test results. For patients with metastatic disease, their access to clinical trials has been nearly shut down and they are worried that their other options are limited.
Throughout this crisis, Breastcancer.org is doing what we do best: helping our breast cancer community make sense of the complex and sometimes quickly evolving information needed to make the best decisions to protect their health and connect with others like them for support.
While our office is closed, our team is working remotely, using email, messaging apps, and video conferencing to work together. Our team has been working tirelessly, day and night, tracking the impact of COVID-19 and what it means for people dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis--providing regularly-updated information, speaking with experts, and staying connected with our community through our discussion boards.
And you are an indispensable member of our team.
You have the power to help us help you and everyone else. You are such an important member of our team! Support from people like you make it possible for all of us to “run into the fire” of this pandemic and provide the expert information and support that people dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis need right now!
If you are able, we greatly appreciate any and all donations to support our emergency coverage of the COVID19 pandemic and the programs and services our community relies on. Your support allows us to provide our programs at no cost.
You can also help by sharing our resources and programs with anyone you know who is dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis. Send them to Breastcancer.org, encourage them to join our discussion board community, and have them connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Together, we will lean on each other and do our part to overcome this crisis.
Most importantly, remember you are not alone. We’re here. We’re all in this together!
With gratitude,
Marisa C. Weiss M.D.
Founder and Chief Medical Officer |
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