James Yeager has been a part of ERIC for the past few years. He has worked closely with Jim Gerencser to promote health and wellness among the community. His ongoing passion project is called Screen Up and he has shared a few words about it here for our blog. Ladies and Gentlemen, James!
Here at ERIC when we say, “early recognition is critical,” we mean just that. The earlier you can recognize or detect cancer the better chances of having a positive outcome you have! The best way to detect cancer at an early stage, before symptoms appear, is with a screening test. Cancer screening tests can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are as simple as a physical examination, others are more complicated involving laboratory tests and imaging equipment. SImple or complex, a cancer screening does not diagnose cancer, it identifies those who need further diagnostic tests. A common example of this is a mammogram breast exam. The mammogram detects lumps, which may or may not be cancerous. Once identified further testing such as a biopsy is done to make a diagnosis.
The key part of a screening is doing it. (There are a number of recommendations surrounding who should get screened and when, check out our “Screen Up” page for more info). I know I am not alone in my avoidance of going to the doctor. Sometimes not knowing seems easier than facing a potential problem. For the near-decade I had Kaiser insurance, I only took advantage of the free yearly preventive physical once, and that was because my job made me! So if I, a dependent-free, relatively affluent, physically-abled, a car-enabled person could successfully procrastinate potentially lifesaving care through purely self-imposed reticence then what kind of hurdles, obstacles and roadblocks are getting in the way of those dealing with more complications or hardships than myself, and how does that affect their access to early detection?
Screen Up has the mission to help boost people over hurdles, to break down obstacles and to navigate around potential roadblocks. We want to make it easier for folks to connect to free cancer screenings in their communities. While our public health infrastructure is far from perfect, there are a wide range of services available when you take the time to find them. When we started looking, we found that finding them was not as easy as we thought it should be! That is why we are working with www.findhelp.org to help optimize their extensive database of community service providers to facilitate cancer screenings.
What stops you from seeing a doctor for a routine check-up? Is it an internal hurdle? Or something external getting in your way? We are here to help; together we can Screen Up to fight cancer!
James has agreed to answer our Blog’s questionnaire. See what he thought down below!
(1) What fictional character do you wish existed in real life?
Dalinar Kholin. The character arc from a youthful violent warrior to a PTSD suffering alcoholic, to enlightened philosopher appeals to me, as does this quote
“A journey will have pain and failure. It is not only the steps forward that we must accept. It is the stumbles. The trials. The knowledge that we will fail. That we will hurt those around us. But if we stop, if we accept the person we are when we fall, the journey ends. That failure becomes our destination. To love the journey is to accept no such end. I have found through painful experience, that the most important step a person can take is always the next one”
Brandon Sanderson Oathbringer Stormlight Archive #3
(2) What advice would you give yourself five years ago?
To love the journey, even the stumbles.
(3) Given the opportunity to live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
Near my wife and baby boy. And hopefully somewhere coastal because I really like being near the water.
(4) What’s an old wife’s tale, myth, or motto that you’ve never forgotten?
You only get one chance to make a first impression, don’t be late!
(5) What do you hope comes to pass in a hundred years?
It really hurts me to see children suffering when we live in a world with so much abundance. If there is anything I’d like to see accomplished in the next century it would be to improve the lives of the children of the world.
EN_US 
ES