You know the shpeil. Young adult cancer patients have stagnant survival rates, we are the largest group of uninsured adults in America, we have zilch in the way of clinical trials targeted to our specific disease types and biological needs, and most doctors and social workers have no clue what to do with us.
Sucks huh? Well lucky for us Dr. Leonard Sender a.k.a. Lenny is doing something about it. In his spare time (he serves as the Medical Director of Clinical Oncology Services at the UC Irvine Medical Center’s Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center) he founded the SeventyK campaign to raise awareness to the lack of rights that young adult patients have in the organized medical world.
Listen to Lenny: “There is a Patients’ Bill of Rights in every hospital that is given to all patients when they are admitted. However, when you review the Bill of Rights of most institutions in the country, you will find that the Bill of Rights does not reflect the needs of this adolescent and young adult patient population specifically.”
Tired of signing online petitions? Well this one really matters, especially if you are one of the 70,000 young adults diagnosed with cancer each year – or if you know or love one of us. Click here to read more about and sign the SeventyK Patient Bill of Rights.
Have you ever seen the Patient Bill of Rights at your hospital? What did it contain?
“Everything Changes is, without doubt, the most forthright, emotionally sophisticated, and plain-old valuable book of its kind I've seen.”
