When the history of the world's attempt to address obesity is written, the greatest failure may be collaboration with and appeasement of the food industry. The assumption is that this industry is somehow different than others, and that because people must eat, the industry is here to stay, and like it or not, working with them is the only solution.īased on my 30 years of experience in the public health and policy sectors, I believe this position is a trap. Many political bodies, foundations, and scientists believe that working collaboratively with the food industry is the path for change. It is an important time to reflect on the ways that the public and global health communities can engage with the food industry. My hope is that this affords some level of preparedness in your role to become an advocate for someone you love or yourself.This article was commissioned for the PLoS Medicine series on Big Food that examines the activities and influence of the food and beverage industry in the health arena. In my next post I will highlight some particulars in the various avenues. As advocate you are negotiating the cancer health system, research science, personalities,the patient and the rest of daily life that doesn’t stop. In my experience any decision in one avenue intersects with decisions in the other avenues. In order to move forward with any urgency all avenues must be focused on simultaneously. The avenues are insurance coverages/costs, geography/convenience, doctors, experts, treatment centers, researchers and clinical trials. Below this are the avenues of decision making which will inform the macro level. Under the category of decisions we have the macro level of where, how and who will treat the cancer diagnosis. For these reasons and others yet unmentioned realize quickly you must accept becoming the primary advocate. Outside of the patient and their loved ones who else in this process is motivated? The how's and why’s in this ecosystem are unique a influential unto itself. Realize other than the cancer itself nothing of consequence in this process moves forward unless you move it. Depending on the severity of the diagnosis you may find that time is of paramount importance and for now at least this process will dominate your life. For the many decisions you do become aware of what factors and information inform your decision? Where and how do you get, verify, and weight this information and factors? You will likely not even know that these decisions even exist for you to decide on. Many of these decisions will be laid out before you but some of them won’t. Making informed decisions is obviously important but so is the sequence in which the decisions are made. With the hindsight of 3 years since diagnosis I feel modestly qualified to offer some observations and opinions. Though I was equipped with what I felt were proven comprehension and problem solving skills I was about to find out that the medical/cancer ecosystem is completely unlike any institution, industry, or discipline I’d ever encountered. Make phone calls, set appointments and follow the experts' treatment plan.Ĭonfidence and contentment out the window with fear, frustration and exasperation in the front door. To me this meant I must apply solutions to the problem by hiring the appropriate medical professionals. Then strange things started happening and it went from no big deal to bad very quickly. I don’t recall having anymore than a passing concern either, just normal aging body maintenance. So when Robert returned from a dermatology appointment with a band aid on his bald head it was no big deal because he was told it was no big deal. The regular practice of medical checkups, colonoscopies, dermatologists, dental etc… This was normal practice that as a career Army officer and employee of a global consulting firm was expected to do and the cost was covered. Even at age 63 he had a youthful enthusiasm which led him to schedule as much travel and socializing as he could fit in. Robert had the midwestern sensibilities you’d expect from a North Dakota farm boy overlayed with a gregariousness and zest for life. “It” was the confidence and contentment created by the combination of professional accomplishment and the love of a devoted man. In2019 I was 50 years old with an MBA, a Master in Computer Science and several successful business ventures. Then a routine visit to the doctor’s office. We were in the sweet spot of life when personal, career, and family challenges and goals were mostly successfully met. The narrative of this story starts similar to many others I’ve heard. My name is Rose Wang and my husband Robert died of cancer November 4, 2019. In February of 2019 we walked straight into it, unknowingly of course.
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