Update: 20dec11
The Cancer Journey Sharings (for Dec 6, 2020) can seen in the following link:
https://sites.google.com/view/cancerjourneysharingrojoson/home
Cancer Crusaders Club
Excellent Cancer Journey Sharing Award
Launched– November 5, 2020
Cancer journey sharing or sharing cancer stories is a meaningful and effective way to raise awareness (about cancer, its treatment, prognosis, psychological distresses, etc.) as well as to provide psychological and psychosocial support therapy not only to others but also to the sharer herself or himself.
Cancer journey sharing or sharing cancer stories are usually done through blogs, social media, and cancer support group meetings.
With the COVID19 pandemic, I shifted gear for my Cancer Crusaders Club which I established in 1988. I will be focusing on blogs, social media and virtual meetings for my advocacies in the Cancer Crusaders Club starting 2020.
The thrust of the ROJoson Cancer Crusaders Club starting 2020 is online cancer journey sharing which will probably be the everlasting strategy to provide psychosocial therapy and support to my cancer patients. I will be advocating online cancer journey sharing for my cancer patients until I become disabled or die.
In the 33rd Annual Christmas Get-together of the Cancer Crusaders Club which will be held on December 6, 2020 and in a virtual (online) meet, there will be strengthening of the cancer journey sharing, which has been going on for the past 32 years. There will be a granting of cash awards to ROJoson Cancer Crusaders (those who have been or who are/were my patients) who have excellent cancer journey sharing. The cancer journey sharing will be more structured than before.
Practically, in the whole month of October 2020, I formulated self-assessment forms for psychological distresses experienced by cancer patients in different phases of their cancer journey. I completed them on November 4, 2020.
See: https://sites.google.com/site/cancercrusadersclub/survey-forms-on-psychological-distresses-in-different-phases-of-cancer-journey
I was happy with my outputs. For the first time in my life, I was able to systematize in the simplest way possible (I don’t expect everybody to agree) the identification of psychological distresses usually experienced by cancer patients, particularly in the Philippines (based on my 44 years of personal experience – 1976 to 2020); their assessment in terms of severity or intensity of the distresses; identification of coping tactics commonly or may be used by Filipino cancer patients; and their assessment of effectiveness and outcomes of the coping tactics used. Although I placed “addendum boxes” for the respondents to add more to my suggested options in the survey and gave them opportunities to expound and explain in details in a free-wheeling fashion, honestly, knowing the usual respondents, they will usually place “NONE” or “NOT APPLICABLE.”
So, what happened next? In wanting to make my survey as useful as possible, I decided on an additional motivating tactic. That, of granting of cash awards but making sure that the respondents come out with a structured and comprehensive sharing of their cancer journey.
Thus, birth of Cancer Crusaders Club Excellent Cancer Journey Sharing Award. I am launching this today (November 6, 2020).
The mechanics will be the following:
There must be initial answering of a survey formulated by me (Assessment of My Cancer Journey on Psychological Distresses at different phases of cancer journey).
There will have 5 categories in what is essentially a search or a contest:
· Cancer Journey during and after Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
· Cancer Journey during and after Cancer Treatment (in Remission less than 10 Years)
· Cancer Journey during Survivorship (in Remission 10 years or more)
· Cancer Journey during Recurrence
· Cancer Journey during Curtain Call (Near-end-of-life)
The would-be-cancer-patient-sharers will determine what phase of cancer journey they are currently in. Then, they answer the survey forms that correspond to their current phase of cancer journey. For example, for those cancer patients who are in the near-end-of-life phase, they answer only the survey designated for them (Assessment of My Cancer Surgery on Psychological Distress – Phase During Curtain Call). Another example, for those cancer patients who just completed their cancer conventional treatment (right after to 3 months at most), they answer only the survey designated for them (Assessment of My Cancer Surgery on Psychological Distress – Phase of Cancer Treatment).
After answering the survey, the would-be-cancer-patient-sharer will then use the survey and its contents as a take-off point for developing a cancer journey narrative detailing the psychological distresses, the coping tactics, the effectiveness and outcomes.
The narrative can be done by the cancer patient himself or herself or by his / her caregiver or both collaboratively. The narrative can be in Taglish, Tagalog or English. The narrative should be NO MORE THAN 2000 words (submitted using MS Word). Pictures and illustrations submitted separately carry NO maximum page limit.
The narrative of the patient should contain the following:
1. Short history of the cancer and current phase in cancer journey
2. Psychological distresses (focusing on FEAR, SADNESS, PERSONAL APPREHENSIONS, and PSYCHOSOCIAL APPREHENSIONS)
3. Coping tactics
4. Assessment of effectiveness and outcomes of coping tactics
5. Lessons learned and advices to other cancer patients
6. Names and contact numbers of the cancer patient and caregiver
The patient’s narrative should be accompanied by a caregiver’s testimony containing validation of the cancer patient’s narration and also lessons learned from the cancer patient in no more than 500 words (in MS Word). Aside from a declaratory statement of truthfulness of the patient’s narration, the validation should contain short evidentiary anecdotes.
The cancer patient’s narrative and caregiver’s testimony should be submitted in digital form and emailed to rjoson2001@yahoo.com. The deadline for submission is on November 22, 2020; 12 noon.
Please submit a passport picture of the cancer patient and also that of the caregiver (separate individual photos).
The criteria for judging will be the following with relative weights and rating scale assigned:
1. Observance of rules and regulations of the contest [complete - 3; incomplete - 0]
2. Clarity of narration and presentation [very clear - 3 <===============> very unclear - 0]
3. Courageousness [very courageous - 3 <===============> not courageous - 0]
4. Emulatability (from the root word – emulate) [Greatly emulatable - 3 <===============> Least emulatable - 0]
5. Intentional living with cancer [Clear intentional living plan - 3 <===============> No intentional living plan - 0]
6. Acceptance of cancer challenges [utmost acceptance - 3 <===============> No acceptance - 0]
7. Caregiver testimony (validation and lessons learned) [Very clear and valuable lessons - 3 <===============> No clear and valuable lessons - 0]
The decision of the judges is final.
There will be at most 3 winners in each of the 5 categories:
· Cancer Journey during and after Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment
· Cancer Journey during and after Cancer Treatment (in Remission less than 10 Years)
· Cancer Journey during Survivorship (in Remission 10 years or more)
· Cancer Journey during Recurrence
· Cancer Journey during Curtain Call (Near-end-of-life)
The best and most excellent Cancer Journey Sharing will carry a tag of Diamond Award and will have a cash prize of P5,000.00.
The second best Cancer Journey Sharing will carry a tag of Platinum Award and will have a cash prize of P3,000.00.
The third best Cancer Journey Sharing will carry a tag of Gold Award and will have a cash prize of P2,000.00.
There may not always be 3 winners in all categories depending on the judging criteria and result. Example, there may be Gold Award and Platinum Award but no Diamond Award. Furthermore, there may be no winners at all in all or some categories depending on the number of entries submitted and on the judging criteria.
Winners will be known before December 6, 2020 and they may be asked to prepare a presentation on the day of Cancer Crusaders Club virtual meeting. In preparation, the winners will be asked to make a recorded presentation (slides or video may be used) of no more than 10 minutes.
For any questions, you may text or call me (09188040304), message me in Facebook Messenger or Viber, or email me (rjoson2001@yahoo.com).
Dr. Rey
ROJ@20nov6