Carlea Bauman at home with her daughter Izzy

Got 3 minutes? That’s all it will take today to give yourself a “Warrior Wednesday Carlea Bauman treat read” today.  So ignore everyone  and make what they are saying now sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher.

Yes, before you get up or make another call, find your colorectal-yoga moment.  After you read this, you will have that one moment of “awe, yes, good things are happening and good people are making it happen.”

If you are new to the “fight for colorectal cancer,” trust that Carlea Bauman will become a household name.  She is a woman with many words.  Some of her words are powerful and influencing our nation’s top political leaders.  And, then there are her words that are not found in the dictionary.  Beware of those non-dictionary words.  They can make you spit from laughter, because you didn’t expect to hear it.

We salute Carlea Bauman as this week’s Wednesday Warrior.

Why I Get My Rear in Gear

By Carlea Bauman

I have been president of Fight Colorectal Cancer (formerly C3: Colorectal Cancer Coalition) since 2006. I get my rear in gear because there are colorectal cancer patients and survivors who humble me on a daily basis.

I’m lucky. I go home at night, play with my adorable two year old, and I do not have to think about cancer. I still do, of course, but it is my job not; it is not my life.

I work every day to encourage patients, to make them feel stronger through increased knowledge of their disease, and to tell them that they have the capacity to make a difference in the fight against colorectal cancer. But deep down inside, I know that if I were ever faced with what they face every day, I would crumble. So I look at them, and I am in awe. I quite simply don’t know how they do it.

I will never forget the friends I have lost to colorectal cancer. And I mourn the loss of loved ones to people who have become dear friends. I also happily celebrate when someone kicks cancer’s ass.

But the times when I really love my job are when advocates join us at Call-on Congress and I see in their eyes their amazement at what they’ve done. I love the stories of advocates chasing their senators into elevators to press them about colorectal cancer legislation. Or getting their “says-no-to-everything” representative to finally say yes to a national colorectal cancer screening program.

These victories mean more than just getting legislation passed. It means that survivors, who had to give up control to their disease, finally get to hit back – on their terms. It is truly awesome to be a part of that.

More about Carlea

Carlea Bauman is always getting behind a cure for colorectal cancer

Carlea brings 20 years of experience in communications, politics and advocacy to Fight Colorectal Cancer. As the National Director of Grassroots Advocacy for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), she directed ADA’s “Call to Congress: Conquer Diabetes,” which brought hundreds of diabetes advocates to Capitol Hill each election year. Prior to that, she was the Press Secretary for the groundbreaking Florida “Truth” Campaign, an initiative that resulted in a 10 percent drop in teen smoking within a single year. Her passion for health advocacy is personal: she lost her mother to diabetes and her father to cancer. Carlea got her start in politics working for the late Florida Governor Lawton Chiles and later at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington, DC. She sits on the Advocacy Board for the Ruesch Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Carlea is a graduate of Florida State University and resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and daughter.

Show Us the Money!
What Congress is Doing for Cancer Research & How We Can Make It Do More

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011
8 – 9:30 PM Eastern

In this webinar, we’ll update you on the latest from Congress in the fight against cancer. Then we’ll tell you some simple steps you can take to get our Members of Congress to stop bickering with each other and start saving some lives

For more information or to register go here.

Couch Potato Advocacy
3 Things You Can Do at Home to Help in the Fight

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011
8 – 9:30 PM Eastern

This webinar will help you bridge the gap between desire, fear and limited time and help you make a difference in colorectal cancer research funding at a Congressional level by giving you tools to reach out to your local Member of Congress.

For more information or to register go here.

View past patient webinars hosted by Fight Colorectal Cancer here.  A list of past sessions are listed on the right side navigation bar. All webinars are free for unlimited viewing.

In this issue the CDC reports:

• Between 2003 and 2007, approximately 66,000 colorectal cancer cases were prevented and 32,000 lives were saved compared to 2002. Half of these prevented cases and deaths were due to screening.
• Screening rates are still too low.
• As of 2010, 1 in 3 adults between the ages of 50 and 75 are not up-to-date with recommended colorectal cancer screening.

Read the entire issue of Vital Signs here. Then share what you learn with your family and friends to increase the screening rates and save more lives.

David Goodman ran the NYC Marathon to get the word out about screening

The American Cancer Society’s 2011 guidelines and the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force continue to foster that people 50 and over should begin their annual screening using one of the screening standards below:

• Colonoscopy every 10 years – The gold standard
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy every 5 years
• Double-contrast barium enema every 5 years
• CT colonography (virtual colonoscopy) every 5 years

Most people absorb the “50 and over” portion of the screening, but that hasn’t helped the national rate of screening which is around 40%.  Compare that percentage to the 80%  rate for breast cancer and you may scratch your head.  Those eligible for screening aren’t doing it at the right time.

What most people miss hearing about is when they should get screened if they fall under the age of 50.  We ask our doctors and national guidelines to be the decision maker of our body.  And, we often don’t push the button for ourselves, unless the button is being thrust upon our own body.

Why do we not know the “right time” if we fall under 50?

• Guidelines are general and can miss a percentages of our population for the very fact that the population is not general
• Early stage colorectal cancer often produces no symptoms
• Online and print publications can be misinterpreted or misunderstood particularly for those under 50 and when they need to return for another screening
• PSA’s and media interviews are short and to the “point of the moment” v. being an international assembly of experts and patients
• Doctors and colorectal advocates may miss the words you need to hear in conversation, lectures and reports

So how do you push the button? Here’s “Get Your Rear in Gear’s Push the Button” key ingredients:

• Know a wide range of facts from reputable multiple medical and patient resources
• Ask everyone in your immediate and extended Family about colorectal cancer history (this may not be easy as older generations often consider it a taboo subject)
• Love your body by listening to it and making it your number one priority
• Talk with your doctor about your symptoms and family history – prepare your case for getting a colonoscopy just as you would do to get the million dollar deal

We call these “Push the Button” ingredients the best combined ingredients.  Yet, after mixing up these ingredients, you might find yourself thinking, “um, something still just isn’t measuring up.”  Get Your Rear in Gear wants you to push the button further by asking:

Another medical expert

We hear countless stories of people getting the help they needed from other doctor opinions.Actor Fran Drescher went to eight doctors, before being diagnosed with uterine cancer.We aren’t saying that you should become a hypochondriac, but we have heard countless stories of people being told they probably have a pulled muscle, cracked rib or “just irritable bowel syndrome.”

Family and friends that have been diagnosed

We can’t say enough how critical this can be to helping you determine if your problem falling outside of the “reported symptom’s” and guidelines. Colorectal cancer advancement these last ten years is largely credited to the grassroots army of colorectal cancer patients, “warriors” and caregivers.

Yourself

Don’t I deserve to trust my gut instincts? Don’t I deserve to get the right answers? Am I making this conversation everyday language, so others will talk about it with me?  Even at the dinner table, words like colon, colorectal and colonoscopy should be as common as the latest Apple product.  Imagine if everyone got excited about helping you determine if you have a problem like they do about the latest cool tool.

Please trust yourself today to do the right thing.  Get Your Rear in Gear is bigger than just a message for colon cancer; it is a message for all of us to take action, lead longer healthier lives, go to the doctor regularly, to listen to our bodies when something isn’t right and to get the right answers, regardless of age.

Next month, we will explore the different screening options.

Kristin Tabor, President & Founder

For more information about colon cancer and symptoms visit these links.
American Cancer Society
Centers for Disease Control
National Institutes of Health
National Cancer Institute
Mayo Clinic

For more information about screening options visit these links.
American Cancer Society
Centers for Disease Control
National Cancer Institute
Mayo Clinic

May 22, 2011 is the seventh annual Get Your Rear in Gear Twin Cities event.  To mark the occasion we requested that Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton make a special proclamation of the day for the State of Minnesota.  He was kind enough to oblige.  Here is a photo of the certificate and the complete text of the proclamation is below.

STATE OF MINNESOTA PROCLAMATION

Whereas: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States, affecting people of all races and ethnicities; and

Whereas: when diagnosed at an early stage, there is a 90 percent, five-year survival rate for those with colon cancer. When diagnosed at a later stage, that survival rates falls to just 10 percent; and

Whereas: Individuals diagnosed with colon cancer often experience no signs or symptoms associated with the disease; and

Whereas: 2,475 new cases of colon cancer and 850 colon cancer deaths are reported each year in Minnesota, yet only one in four Minnesotans over the age of 50 have ever been screened; and

Whereas: The Colon Cancer Coalition and the first Get Your Rear in Gear Race were founded in Minnesota in 2005 by Kristin Tabor after losing her sister to colon cancer; and

Whereas: To date, the Get Your Rear in Gear Twin Cities race has raised more than $750,000 for colon cancer education, prevention and screening in Minnesota.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, MARK DAYTON, Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim Sunday, May 22, 2011, as:

Get Your Rear in Gear Minnesota Day

in the State of Minnesota.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Minnesota to be affixed at the State Capitol this 3rd day of May.

(Signed by Mark Dayton, Governor and Mark Ritchie, Secretary of State)

To have your voice heard and connect with your elected officials call 1-866-615-3375 anytime from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. EDT on March 2 or 3.

Your call really will make a difference! Legislators want to hear from advocates like you. To view a video from with other advocates who have taken the time to Butt-In to Congress, click here. 

For more Information visit Colorectal Cancer Coalition: Congressional Butt-In. To register your support and intentions with the Colorectal Cancer Coalition email Advocacy@FightCRC.org.

The report card “provides a snapshot of each state’s effort to pass legislation requiring insurance coverage for colon cancer screening tests, according to the best clinical guidelines.”  States earning above average grades were those which require insurance providers to cover tests for policy holders aged 50 and over, and those under 50 at high risk.  In 2009, eight Get Your Rear in Gear states received passing grades on the report card.  This year, 10 Get Your Rear in Gear states met the criteria for above average status.  Those states include:

• Indiana
• Illinois
• Missouri
• Louisiana
• North Carolina
• Pennsylvania
• Oregon
• Texas
• Vermont
• Virginia

The report also highlights states where improvements could be made.  States which received failing grades where those which do not have legislation that would require insurance providers to cover colon cancer screening.  In these states, colon cancer awareness events are exceptionally important so that voters are informed about the need for colon cancer screening legislation when they go to the polls.  Get Your Rear in Gear will be heading to eight of these states in 2011.

• How did your state rank?  See the full report here.
• View last year’s report card
  
• Find a Get Your Rear in Gear event in your state

Did your representative support colon cancer legislation?  Click here to find out.

*description courtesy of C3

Join the Colorectal Cancer Coalition

No previous experience required. Just a desire to take action. You’ll connect with others who are taking their advocacy up to the next level through health fairs, fundraising events and meetings with elected officials.

Special guest Theresa Vawter, Legislative Assistant for Representative Kay Granger (R-TX) will be joining the event to provide updates  on the outlook for her boss’s bill to create a national screening and treatment program for colorectal cancer (H.R. 1189) and the fiscal year 2011 appropriations process.

Register for the webinar by clicking here, or if you can’t make the call next week,  mark your calendars for the November Grassroots Advocate Chat – Wednesday Nov. 3 at 8:15PM EDT.

Six months after the signing of the Affordable Care Act, the following vital protections take effect:

• Insurance companies can no longer discriminate against children with pre-existing conditions such as cancer;
• Health plans can no longer cancel coverage when a patient gets sick, forcing them to pay for their care out of pocket;
• Lifetime limits on the dollar amount of coverage are banned and annual limits are tightly restricted, meaning that patients won’t have to worry about suddenly losing their coverage.

Media reports indicate that there may be attempts to challenge these protections by some insurance companies. Stay informed by visiting the blog or by checking out the ACSCAN site.