Instead of ‘how a bill becomes a law’ I kept exploring the whole idea of
‘how a death sentence becomes a chronic condition’, not focusing on ‘why’
(public policy, medicine, prevention) but rather focusing, specifically, on
‘what next?’, i.e. the aftermath of social and cultural change that follows.
When a disease transforms from death sentence to chronic condition, does
this represent a tipping point for social change, fostering the genesis of
an entirely new, underserved demographic whose lifestyle and psychographic
behaviors hold the key to better serving their unique socioeconomic,
political and cultural needs through the balance of their extended
lifespans?
Does the early identification of this emerging population constitute fertile
opportunity for innovative ventures in social entrepreneurship that can
effectively address and identify these unique needs though moral and ethical
exploration both social (market research) and clinical (population science)?
Example: Diabetes and HIV were once a death sentence. Today they are chronic
conditions [in the US] which have been culturally desensitized and socially
destigmatized into the mainstream. The focus is no longer specifically our
favorite word ‘cure’ because death and suffering have, more or less, been
marginalized to the best extent that can be.
Progress not cure has yielded the need for MyHIVLife.com.
After all, “Living with it” is better than the alternative, right?
Is cancer in the United States following a similar trend?
I know it is. It already has.
Many doctors currently shy away from the word ‘cure’ even though it’s an
acknowledged scientific term with a Webster’s definition. It’s about
“survivorship” now, the quality and not necessarily quantity of your
life.
How many “MyHIVLife.com”-type websites are there for cancer these days?
Hundreds.
They’re popping up every day, raising public awareness, discussing the
‘lifestyle’ of what vigilant self-advocacy we as survivors must undertake
simply by living with, through and, hopefully, beyond our diagnosis.
And the word “beyond” is even losing meaning. Being told “you’re cured” is
not the end of story and, as too many already know, cancer can be the gift
that keeps on giving.
So the “survivorship” is the cancer lifestyle. What does it mean to be a
cancer patient? A suvivor? A caregiver? Especially if you’re under 40?
But that’s a whole other rant.
Food for thought.
Matthew Zachary is the Founder and CEO of I’m Too Young for This, the nation’s leading grassroots advocate for the next generation of cancer survivors and their caregivers in their late teens, 20s and 30s. A TIME Magazine Best 50 Website for 2007, they have helped bring the cause of ‘cancer under 40′ to the national spotlight and rallied a brand new generation of activists to ensure prompt detection, advocacy, research and support for this forgotten population.
Laura Alexander, Director of PR/Events and Connection Specialist for IA, and Amy Rosko, Imerman Active Committee Chair (above), are kicking off 2010 with new ideas for our IA athletes!
Imerman Active involves athletes from all over the country. Upcoming events include the Shamrock Shuffle in Chicago and the Half Marathon in Austin. Thinking of running the 2011 Chicago Marathon? It’s never too soon to start planning with Imerman Angels.
Reach out to arosko@imermanangels.org for more details or visit http://www.imermanangels.org/imerman_active.php
Hi there everyone. My name is Aaron Hadley and I’m the new Director of Operations for Imerman Angels.
I met Jonny Imerman at a speech in 2006 and was captivated by his passion, sincerity, and focus on the IA mission. Soon afterwards I volunteered at an IA event and was further impressed by the caliber and quality of the dedicated volunteers, many of whom had personally used the pair-up service as either a cancer fighter, survivor, or caregiver. I started as an Outreach Committee volunteer, representing IA at various events and by April of 2008 I was asked to lead the committee.
I grew up in Dallas and then St. Louis and graduated from The University of Arizona (that’s the one in Tucson). I enjoyed 8 wonderful years at the director level of a nonprofit followed by two years in downtown Chicago commercial real estate.
Positivity, passion, and great attitudes abound at Imerman Angels and because of all the amazing people here my transition into this new position has been very natural. I can’t properly express in words how much of an honor and privilege it is to officially join the IA team.
As Director of Operations I have a broad range of responsibilities. In general my focus is creating scalable systems, processes, and structures to help build a strong foundation so Imerman Angels can grow and help more and more people touched by cancer. This includes everything from infrastructure and technology to volunteers and outreach and of course most importantly to ensuring that our 1-on-1 connections are always helping cancer fighters, survivors, and caregivers.
As we look forward to the rest of 2010 there’s excitement about the launch of our new Angel Ambassadors program (growing IA volunteer chapters nationally), development of our core values, Mentor Angel Guide, a new testimonial video, an improved volunteer management process and the addition of several new intern positions. There’s much more to come so stay tuned!
Jonny’s California roadtrip continued to Vista Middle School in Irvine, California where one of our Fighter Angels attends school. JI spoke in front of the student body, helping them to understand what is going on with their friend and how to show support in the BEST way possible.
Next stop: Burbank for a 3 hour lunch hosted by Survivor Angel, Tammi Audi. Tammi opened her home to 40 cancer fighters and survivors in the IA network! According to Jonny, “It was great to see everyone in person
and have local-LA’ers touched by cancer meet each other, click, and become
friends and keep in touch!!”
Finally, JI rounded out his trip with a 1/2 Marathon in Carlsbad, accompanied by area Angels and volunteers, sporting our Imerman Active jerseys.
(Below) Check out Jonny and the students of Vista Middle School speaking about cancer support!
Hi there everyone. My name is Aaron Hadley and I’m the new Director of Operations for Imerman Angels.