The Access Fund, established by Alison Friedman and Mark Waner, will support efforts to ensure all colorectal cancer patients, regardless of their background or financial situation, can access the necessary care and cutting-edge treatment options needed to improve their chances of survival.
In January of 2023, I was 43 years old and received the diagnosis that turned our world upside down: stage IV colon cancer. I was younger than the screening guidance, and the diagnosis was considered terminal. So began a process of fighting what I had to: cancer, AND fighting what I shouldn’t have to: bureaucracy AND the innumerable barriers to accessing the most promising science.
And yet I consider myself lucky. That sounds funny to say, but I have good friends deeply connected to the medical system and the emerging frontiers of science most people facing my diagnosis don’t even know exist. And still, the reality of the barriers others face are always there; we're just more privileged in how we can deal with them. I had bad health insurance when I was diagnosed. I spent the day of my diagnostic CT scan trying to marry my fiancé, so I could get onto his plan. I've watched the bills fluctuate from $10,000 to $27,000 down to $600 because we had the ability to ask questions and fight on this front.
My oncologist suggested delaying some tests that wound up being critical to my care-and to knowing if my 15-year-old daughter was at higher risk-because of insurance protocols. She also recommended getting second opinions at places studying my particular deadly mutation. This meant plane flights and relocating and bumming houses and apartments off of friends, and being away from my kid because there isn’t good medical care where we live.
It’s worse for almost everyone else. Everyone who’s trying to get medical care while working a full-time job, who can’t afford to travel or move to the experts, who are stuck in rural health centers, who have a skin color that means some doctors don’t listen to them as well, who don’t have my friends or my comfort in speaking up.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
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Colorectal cancer has a greater than 90% survival rate with early detection and treatment, but disparities limit access to equitable screening and treatment for many, particularly Black Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN), and underserved Americans, who are disproportionately affected by the disease.
The Colorectal Cancer Alliance is committed to breaking down barriers to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for all at-risk individuals. We’re proud to join the Alliance as they launch their first major government relations initiative, aiming to:
We’re asking for your support to bridge the gap between those who can fight this disease with full access and those who struggle to obtain even basic treatment.
The Access Fund aims to bridge the gap, ensuring that every patient, regardless of their socioeconomic status or background, can access the life-saving treatments and care they need.