The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Joining research studies helpful
PUBLISHED: April 17, 2008
Following my battle with breast cancer, I now can see clearly the benefit of joining and participating in research studies. All too often I have heard that research studies are either inconvenient (who has time?) or that people are being used as guinea pigs.
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I am now valuable as a subject for breast cancer research. My blood has been donated to help scientists learn about genetic causes, as well as anything else that might help find a cause and a cure related to breast cancer.
Recently, I joined a research study that isn't directly related to breast cancer. Dr. Caroline Richardson of the University of Michigan Health System Department of Family Medicine is leading a study called "Stepping Up to Health with eCommunities" and the primary funding source is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Richardson and her team are studying how to help individuals start and continue a walking program, the impact of support from peers, and motivational factors. Walking may affect individuals by improving fitness and preventing some diseases. Since I am in the process of regaining my physical health and also wish to avoid some diseases prevalent in my family line, this research area seemed ideal.
Basically, I wear a pedometer daily for 16 weeks. The pedometer is able to track my steps precisely to the time of the day and the type of step. I am provided goals and able to speak with other participants, as well as the researchers, in an online chat forum so that I receive support.
Many people believe that research participants are simply human guinea pigs, but I feel differently. Many laws and procedures, including oversight by a review board, are in place to guarantee the safety of all human subjects used in studies. Participation is always voluntary and anyone can quit at any time.
A medical form signed by the individual's family doctor was required for each participant prior to being accepted into the study. We also have constant contact with the researchers either by phone, e-mail or in the discussion forum. The process of joining and taking part in the research study means that I am being closely monitored.
This study has already motivated me to pay attention to my daily activity and walk more than I might have otherwise. Perhaps this study will help train new researchers or encourage other people to take charge of their own health.
I've already noticed a change in my daily patterns. All it takes is a glance at the pedometer to know that I have been sitting too long and should get up. I can sneak in some steps while I chat on the phone, ask someone to take a walk, or go outside despite the weather.
There are times when I notice that the day is more than half gone and I am way below my goal of daily steps. At that point, I walk around the house, walk to visit a friend, or ask my husband to walk around the neighborhood with me.
My husband also wears a pedometer, so we enjoy light-hearted competition to beat the other's step count. We are creative in finding ways to reach our goals. During one weekend, we wandered through Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor, discovering flocks of Cedar Waxwings and interesting animal prints in the snow and mud.
My daughter teases me that I am "cheating" when I burst into a fast walk in the evening to add to my step count or reach a higher number than my husband, but it's not really cheating. I am simply trying to reach my goal, and isn't that the point? Without the pedometer, I probably wouldn't have realized that most of the day was spent sitting.
My participation in the Stepping Up to Health with eCommunities study requires wearing the pedometer every day, uploading the information from the pedometer to the study Web site, checking the graph which charts my progress, and walking to meet my daily and weekly goals. Some would think that sounds like a lot of effort for little or no results.
Many of the advances made in cancer treatment or the treatment of other diseases is due to the men and women who join research studies. These studies might help me personally, it might help strangers I'll never meet, or it could someday save the life of my own children or grandchildren. Sounds like it's worth it to me.
Approaching and offering help": At the request of a reader, I am going to return to the topic of approaching and relating to cancer patients and their families. Simply asking an acquaintance or a friend how they are doing can be a complicated task when you consider the multitude of personalities and the fact that very often they want to respond, "Devastated!"
Coming May 1
Don't let all the advice stress you out": There is plenty of advice available on what foods, chemicals, and lifestyle factors affect the risk of getting breast or other types of cancer. Research studies and anecdotal evidence exist for just about everything in our environment, from non-stick cooking pans to dairy products. Personally, I find that this leads to anxiety about exactly what I can and cannot do, and whether my choices will have a positive or negative outcome. Many people are confused on which pieces of advice are based on facts or myths, especially when doctors and research studies don't always agree.
Coming May 15
Writing your own obituary": As the author of my own obituary as part of a college writing assignment, I had to determine what was vital to include and what to specifically exclude in a public document that not only announces to neighbors, classmates and distant relatives that we have passed on, but is meant to honor the life one lived. After battling cancer, I developed the habit of reading obituaries. I became curious about how each of these people died, their age at death, which survivors are missing their company, and what made each of them unique.
Coming May 29
View Video
View video of Alison Marable's pinning ceremony at Eastern Michigan University. The special ceremony was held in late August just for her because she missed the official ceremony so she could have her breast cancer surgery.
Heritage Newspapers encourages readers to share videos and photographs online. Do you have a video that you want to share or photographs from the Relay for Life or other fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society? Is so, please upload them at micentral.mycapture.com or click on the photo sharing button on the newspaper's home page at www.heritage.com.
Your Thoughts
Have you been affected by cancer? Share your thoughts by adding your comments to Editor Michelle Rogers' blog entry of Nov. 13 at heritageweststaffblog.blogspot.com, which can be accessed from the newspaper's Web site in the left-hand corner.
Check the blog, "Inside the Newsroom," regularly to read what your friends and neighbors are sharing. We want to hear about your personal experiences dealing with cancer, the hardships you've endured and overcome, and advice that you have for individuals battling cancer or supporting a loved one who is going through treatment.
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