SPECIAL FEATURE
"I try to live as normal
a life as possible," Joe
says. "I bike-ride every
chance I get. My wife
and I go for a lot of
walks and out to the
movies—anything we
can do to take the focus
off of illness."
"I try to live as normal a life as possible,"
ship. Other cancers are considered incur-
new and innovative developments in
Joe says. "I bike-ride every chance I get.
able; there is treatment but no cure. Once
cancer treatment, patients can live a long
My wife and I go for a lot of walks and
upon a time, incurable cancers were re-
time with cancer—and with is the key
out to the movies—anything we can do to
ferred to as terminal but not now. There
word here. Patients with chronic cancer
take the focus off of illness."
is a new term for these cancers: chronic.
are living with it, not dying from it.
Joe is one of a growing number of peo-
"The paradigm change is that we're
ple who is living—and living well—in the
starting to look at cancer as a chronic
wake of an advanced cancer diagnosis. Yes,
illness as opposed to an acute illness,"
Living Well with
Chronic Cancer
you read that right: Joe is living well with
explains Simeon Jaggernauth, DO, a
"Chronic" may sound better than "ter-
cancer, fueled by a desire to be fully en-
medical oncologist at Cancer Treatment
minal," but it's still an enduring chal-
gaged in life and not about to let cancer
Centers of America® (CTCA) in Tulsa,
lenge. Chronic means "all the time." In
get in the way.
Oklahoma. "It's sort of like diabetes, hy-
other words, if you have chronic cancer,
pertension, AIDS, or hepatitis C. These
you will live with this cancer for the rest
Defining Chronic Cancer
are illnesses that people have and can be
of your life. That may sound like an or-
Some cancers are considered curable. Af-
treated for, but they're not curable."
deal, but there are an increasing number
In fact, a cancer can be considered in-
of tools to help patients manage for the
Lindsay Rehm, move forward to and PJ Donatucci
remission and RN, OCN, with Jacksurvivor- curable but quite treatable. Thanks to
long term. Despite cancer and ongoing
ter successful treatment, patients go into
8 cancer fighters thrive | spring 2013
cfthrive.com