Public Health Organizations Call on Churchill Downs to Open Turfway Park Smoke-free
August 16th, 2022
To the Leadership of Churchill Downs Incorporated,
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Cancer Survivors Go To Montpelier for Cancer Action Day
March 24, 2016
David Cranmer of Shelburne was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 1999.
"This is the first time that I've been able to talk about somebody about my cancer," Cranmer said.
He says he felt alone during treatment.
"Bone marrow transplants takes about a year to recover, and much of that year is spent in isolation because you have no immune system," Cranmer said.
Cranmer ended up joining a group to talk to another survivor over the phone, since he was one of only three people diagnosed with that form of cancer that year.
In 2016, the American Cancer Society's Cancer Action Network wants to make sure everyone gets the support they need. The group will be at the Vermont Statehouse Thursday.
Their priorities for the legislative year focus on prevention, detection as well as checking on quality of life for cancer survivors. The Cancer Action Network’s Jill Sudhoff-Guerin says costs are a big issue for many Vermonters.
"When people can't see what their prescription drug costs are then they're kind of going blindly into purchasing a plan," Sudhoff-Guerin said.
She’s also worried about rising e-cigarette use.
"The safety of the devices, we're concerned about what's in them because anything be in them right now. And we're also concerned about the nicotine addiction itself," Sudhoff-Guerin said.
Cranmer will also be at the statehouse with the Cancer Action Network, to push for change and to provide support for others.
"That's why I say to people that was the day those clouds over me went away, because I could talk to somebody who had been there," Cranmer said.
Cranmer, who was diagnosed again with thyroid cancer in 2010, helped to form the Vermont Cancer Survivor Network. It works to connect people with similar cancer diagnosis across the state.