EP #146: Cancer Patient Advocacy with Andrea Wilson Woods
They say cancer affects someone in everyone’s network. There are more than 100 types and each has its own unique way of affecting the body.
Cancer patients have to deal with illness and treatments and are best suited to concentrating on what they need to do for their physical health. Unfortunately, it can also be a mental challenge and a great caregiver and advocate is an extremely important part of a patient’s journey. Andrea Wilson Woods has a moving story about serving many roles in her sister’s life as she was treated for liver cancer. Since that most challenging time, Andrea has dedicated her life to supporting patients and caregivers by educating them about their disease and helping them find the most cutting-edge treatments. This episode is for anyone with compassion for the ill.
What You'll Learn In Today's Episode:
How Andrea has lost 6 family members to cancer
About Andrea’s sister and her battle with liver cancer
The types of cancers Andrea’s family has dealt with
About genetics and illness
How Andrea’s sister was diagnosed
About Andrea’s pro bono work
About Andrea’s cancer support community
What a clinical trial is and what’s it’s like to search for one
What is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
Who is the typical patient for HCC
What is Cancer University and why Andrea founded it
About the ups and downs of starting an organization
How prayer has helped Andrea and Bob
What it was like for Andrea to write her book
How Andrea dealt with serving so many roles for her sister
How Andrea made a mistake in trying to help her sister
How her sister’s illness hurt Andrea’s relationship with her dad
Ideas Worth Sharing:
“I’ve actually lost six different family members to five different cancers.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“She was very unexpectedly diagnosed with liver cancer about a month after her 15th birthday.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“One thing about cancer…it forces you to live the present.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“I came home that day and she was curled up in a fetal position on the floor.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“She hadn’t shown me that her stomach had been distended for a couple of days.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“As she’s being wheeled in for the cat scan she said, ‘Hey Sissy, watch it be cancer.’” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“I truly believe that he had never given a diagnosis like that.” - Andrea Wilson Woods speaking about the doctor that diagnosed her sister
“The doctor that told him to go home and get his affairs in order didn’t even offer that…didn’t even mention it and to me, that’s criminal.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“Our livers don’t have pain receptors.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“Her liver had become so large it was pressing on her diaphragm.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“Because our mother was a drug addict and a nurse, the doctors concluded that she got it from her mother during childbirth.” - Andrea Wilson Woods talking about her sister’s hepatitis
“The more patients are educated and involved…the more costs go down.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“I just couldn’t bare to charge people.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“People would send me their medical records through Facebook Messenger…Please don’t do that by the way.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“I started praying and meditating about this problem.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“I had this crazy idea of ‘you have to go back to school’.” - Andrea Wilson Woods talking about the idea for Cancer University
“I hope it’s not Eric. That was my crazy boyfriend from college.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“She had started a journal before she ever got sick.” - Andrea Wilson Woods speaking about her book and her sister’s actual words from her journal starting each chapter
“Writing the first draft of that book was awful.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“It was like having a super deep wound or cut and then tearing off the bandaid every morning when I sat down to write and let it bleed for a little while.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“It was like going back and reliving it all over again. But it was so worth it.” - Andrea Wilson Woods speaking about writing her book
“I was really desperate to find support as a parent.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“We’re told to treat people the way we want to be treated. You have to actually treat people how they want to be treated.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
She said, “I don’t need this support group. I don’t want to be around other sick kids.” - Andrea Wilson Woods
“I’m thankful that you’re not like, ‘Oh no, not him again’.” - Bob DePasquale
“There was a second season of life that I was so concerned with everything.” - Bob DePasquale
“That’s why she married me. So she can use that patience.” - Bob DePasquale speaking about his wife, Mrs. DePasquale.
Resources In Today's Episode:
Andrea Wilson - Website - LinkedIn - Twitter - Facebook - Instagram - YouTube
Andrea’s Book - Better Bald the Life of 147 Days
Bob’s Book - Personal Finance in a Public World
This week’s E-Impact Blog Entry
Episodes Referenced:
EP #75: Making Medical Treatment Understandable with Rebecca Owens
