Friday, June 09, 2017
New, innovative technologies to detect, diagnose, treat and investigate cancer are resulting in more successes, allowing more Americans to survive and thrive. Today, nearly 15.5 million people nationwide have beat cancer - 526,000 in Michigan.
The good news, the national number of cancer survivors is projected to jump to 20.2 million by 2026. Below are the stories of five cancer survivors:
A routine self-breast exam saved Grosse Pointe resident Susanne Babcock. “I tell all my friends and family to take charge of their health and perform regular self-exams.”
Curt Wong, of Cedar, encourages others not to procrastinate and skip their scheduled colonoscopy. While undergoing chemotherapy treatments, he returned to coaching and playing volleyball. “Be strong. Focus on the positive.”
Theresa Marcus, of Sterling Heights, is thankful for her cancer team’s relentless support. “I will never forget what they did to help me on my cancer journey.”
White Lake High School senior, Jared Behmlander, never quit after his cancer diagnosis. He excelled at hockey and in the classroom. Behmlander will be attending Michigan Tech in August. His hematologist / oncologist, Dr. Gowans said, “Jared has been emotional at times, but was never caught in a ‘woe is me’ rut. He quickly picked himself back up and said let's keep this going. I always love it when a patient is itching to get back to their physical activities like Jared. He has skated many a time with very low blood counts! It's good for the soul and even better for the body.”
After his single-treatment brachytherapy radiation treatment, John Cameron, of Farmington, was able to resume his active lifestyle. “You can get back to your work and on with your life quickly. This is just remarkable.”