By Eliza Shirazi
Cancer. Ew. No one likes it and everyone shutters at the thought of it.
Working with the American Cancer Society this summer has shown me the ugly and the beauty of this nasty disease. The ugly - watching this monster ruin peoples’ lives. The beauty - watching patients recover and letting their inner hope shine through.
I have been so moved through out my journey with ACS. This organization is 100% here for cancer patients/caregivers and will go out of their way to make sure patients have all the tools they need to FIGHT BACK. It is my job to give patients full support and ensure a smile on their faces before I take my ACS badge off…which has a hideous picture of me on it, may I add.
But, underneath these hopeful smiles is one nasty disease that brought them to the chemo treatment center in the first place. It is likely that everyone has been affected by cancer and that alone should make you get up and get involved… prevention is the first step.
ACS is calling out to people nation wide to participate in the Cancer Prevention Study 3. By joining you are helping researchers find environmental, genetic and lifestyle factors that cause/prevent cancer. There are THREE dates coming up in the Worcester area where YOU can join and very little is involved. If you cannot make these dates, then please check the website for other dates. You must be between the ages of 30-65 and never diagnosed with cancer. Or if you know of businesses, churches, synagogues, gyms, etc. that would be interested in an ACS representative coming to speak very briefly on this study then please contact me at eshirazi@student.umass.edu or call 1.888.604.5888.
Read more health articles from SHSH:
