Elephants and Tea - September 2021 - 33

All of this was a lot to do in a year when
falling asleep on the couch happened almost
every time I sat down. I had practice and did
this resourcing for others, but it was hard to
not have guidance when there was a lot of
fear of recurrence, integrating what had happened,
and when my body was so spent. I had
to make healing another full-time job, while
also going to work.
I didn't have a roadmap after treatment, but I
needed one. I understand I'm not alone in this.
When the treatment plan is over, people often
feel just left with the cancer experience, and
alone. As I got stronger, I continued to help
others facing health challenges, independently
and as an employee. Eventually I dedicated all
my time to my practice, which was first called,
Woven Health Advocacy and now has a spiffy
new name - Cycadian Health Advocacy.
There are strides being made. The world is
waking up to the need for trauma-informed
care, and the stigma around mental health is
lessening - mostly because people are sharing
their story and organizing. But the conventional
medical system does not often support
the healing of the whole person. When they
don't offer us comprehensive care, we must
piece it together.
Doing that work is an extra burden for
survivors. We are made of many parts, but we
should feel as we are - a whole person.
WHAT IS PROFESSIONAL HEALTH
ADVOCACY?
I'm grateful that my cancer experience inspired
work I love. I became an Independent Health
Advocate and a Board Certified Patient Advocate
(BCPA). There are many kinds of patient
advocacy. Through my health advocacy practice,
I help folks navigate the healthcare system and
find resources they need, specifically those healing
from the experiences of cancer.
Professional and Independent Patient
and Health Advocates can play a helpful
role when medical teams and social support
pulls back, when health issues get complex,
or when you need help advocating for your
rights. Survivors may choose to use a Professional
Health Advocate because they feel
like they need help navigating a particular
issue, feel overwhelmed by a complex diagnosis,
they've burdened their personal support,
want some autonomy, or just want the
expertise of a professional.
" Professional and Independent Patient and
Health Advocates can play a helpful role when
medical teams and social support pulls back,
when health issues get complex, or when you need
help advocating for your rights. "
Some advocates focus on insurance and
billing, some on medical safety issues, some
on resourcing and wellness guidance, some
on helping people with a specific disease or
medical need. I love the survivor-to-survivor
relationship and the comfort that provides for
the people I support.
There are about 850 BCPAs at the time I'm
writing this, and there are other Patient Advocates
who are not BCPAs, some transitioning
from other health care roles. There are even a
few new degree programs!
Health and Patient Advocacy in all its forms,
and an engaged patient population, filled with
allies and strong communities, will change the
face of healthcare. This has already begun to
the credit of many survivors like you. Those
who share their story and act as advocates,
those who voice their needs in health care
settings, and contribute to the shared knowlELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM
SEPTEMBER
2021
33

https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs.org/what-is-trauma-informed-care/ https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs.org/what-is-trauma-informed-care/ https://www.pacboard.org/what-does-bcpa-mean/ https://www.triagecancer.org/QuickGuide-Advocacy https://www.wovenhealthadvocacy.com/ http://www.ELEPHANTSANDTEA.COM

Elephants and Tea - September 2021

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