Cancer Survivor Turned Social Work Professor Dr. Bradley Zebrack
Marrow Masters
English - August 31, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MB - ★★★★★ - 7 ratingsMedicine Health & Fitness Education bone marrow transplant stem cell transplant graft versus host disease caregivers cancer survivor patient cgvhd acute gvhd immune system Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Dr. Brad Zebrack is not only an incredible social worker who specializes in oncology but he is survivor himself. Brad was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, at the age of 25, back in 1989.
We spend some time on the term "survivor" - 40 years ago it referred to the family members left behind when someone died of cancer. Now, a survivor is anyone who is still alive, starting from the moment of diagnosis. But it's important to remember that every journey is different, and terms like this can mean different things to different people.
For some patients, they embrace "the new normal." For others, they prefer to put their cancer journey "away in a little box" and not think about it, following treatment. The important thing is that attitudes in oncology have changed. The time after initial treatment is being looked at more carefully.
Positive attitude is a term that is also frequently misinterpreted. While a good mindset has shown to have physical benefits, it doesn't necessarily mean being happy every day. Brad explains that it's more about being OK with where you are each day.
We break down Julia Rowland's "5 D's of cancer" - distance, disfigurement, disability, dependence, and death. Depending on a patient's age and where they are in life, each of these "5 D's" can factor into mindset differently.
Finally, we talk about the importance, specifically, of mental health care. It's more widely discussed nowadays, and it's a vital part of care, both during and after cancer treatment.
Connect with Brad's teams on Twitter:
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center: https://twitter.com/umrogelcancer
University of Michigan School of Social Work: https://twitter.com/umsocialwork
Link to Handbook of Psychooncology, by Jimmie C. Holland and Julia H. Rowland (containing the chapter on "The 5 D's" of cancer mentioned today): https://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Psychooncology-Psychological-Patient-Cancer/dp/019504308
Other Resources:
National Bone Marrow Transplant Link - (800) LINK-BMT, or (800) 546-5268.
nbmtLINK Website: https://www.nbmtlink.org/
nbmtLINK Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/nbmtLINK
nbmtLINK YouTube Page can be found by clicking here.
Thank you to our sponsors. This season is supported by a healthcare contribution from Sanofi and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
https://www.lls.org/patient-support
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