Can you impact cancer by sitting in front of your
computer? If you use social media the answer
is yes. Will it make a huge difference
if you do nothing else but send out messages? Without a doubt, affirmatively
yes!
Celebrities are now publicly stating that they have a
diagnosis of cancer. This use to not be the case as there was too much concern it would hurt
their careers and that they would not get hired. Plus, going through treatment is hard enough without being scrutinized by society and media.
Organizations have popped up, large and small to try to change that by making information readily available and seeking better treatment options. Many organizations spend thousands of dollars doing this and trying to create support systems
and change laws for better treatment options.
Research and recovery rates have improved. Too often, in the past, cancer
patients didn’t have enough assistance once they received the diagnosis so they
chose to not get treatment.
Still support can be lacking for many who receive a cancer diagnosis. Far too often people react as
if it is contagious or they prefer to not be around the disease. The American Cancer
Society has made "Hope Houses" across major cities to help patients have a place
to stay for treatment close to cancer treatment hospitals because too many are left helpless with no one willing
to help them out.
Even within a patient's circumference of family and friends,
many are fearful of what to say so chose to saying
anything and stay completely out of touch.
At a time when a person needs these people front and center in their
lives the most, support is gone. This increases disappointment adding
to the sadness of the disease, which is not good for recovery of the disease.
This is not true of all patients though. Some have a wealth
of support from family, friends, and other sources. The ones that are lacking the support is a
larger segment of the population than most realize. It is surprising too, when
cancer has become so prevalent part in our society.
More and more celebrities have had exposure to what is going
on in the world of cancer, to the lack of support, to the number of diagnoses
and the impact it is having on American families. By visiting cancer centers,
helping with Make a Wish foundation requests and fielding letters, they hear
the heart-wrenching and the hero stories of fight for survival stories. And, in return, many are beginning to share
their own stories, to show their courage.
Cancer is a personal struggle, very intimate. To share it outwardly in the public eye is
very hard, especially early on, when you are dealing with it yourself. It is commendable, these celebrities that are
willing to literally jump outside their comfort zone and share this experience
with us all. Their stories, their experiences, and the cancer
becomes top page news.
No one may care about the mother of two young men named
Julie who lost her
I worked at the American Cancer Society (ACS) offices in
Nashville, Tennessee and Memphis as the Director of Corporate Communications.
Several years later, I began working as a volunteer in social media for some of
the event programs, recruitment for a large scale research project and Making
Strides for Breast Cancer. I saw,
firsthand, internally and then externally what happens when a celebrity goes
public with their cancer diagnosis.
Internal staff are immediately notified
and kept updated as to what is in the media about the celebrity.
The reason is that phone lines and social media go ballistic! The volume of calls and communication via social media and such for questions, requests
and concerns skyrockets. Individuals contacting the organization now care deeply about cancer, either about themselves or
a loved one after hearing the story. It is truly amazing to experience this
firsthand!
Sometimes it is not even about the type of cancer the celebrity has, it is the fact that cancer is in the news. Cancer awareness is in the forefront of everyone’s mind, and for the moment in time, that split second, it is okay to talk about it at length, as long as it remains in the news. The more times the media makes a release about a celebrity and the volume it is tweeted, shared on Facebook, put on Google+, Instagram or wherever, the busier the offices are nationwide, in particular the 800# and hits to the website.
Sometimes it is not even about the type of cancer the celebrity has, it is the fact that cancer is in the news. Cancer awareness is in the forefront of everyone’s mind, and for the moment in time, that split second, it is okay to talk about it at length, as long as it remains in the news. The more times the media makes a release about a celebrity and the volume it is tweeted, shared on Facebook, put on Google+, Instagram or wherever, the busier the offices are nationwide, in particular the 800# and hits to the website.
The effect this has on cancer is incredible! Being proactive
is key to decreasing the odds of being diagnosed and to early diagnosis. The
sooner a person is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat it and the greater likelihood of combating cancer. Everyone benefits. The more information a
person can receive from ACS free of charge, hopefully the sooner they can get
on with the business of living.
What you can do is promote that information, when a celebrity announces their diagnosis? Pass it out to your network of contacts! Unfortunately everyday stories of the common
person don’t always have the impact. Read the message from the celebrity first, become informed. You need to know the story to share it. The reason a celebrity is forthright in telling their story is not to
increase their notoriety but to promote public awareness and save lives. You can help their efforts as we are all in
this together.
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