The big C. Everybody says they know at least one family member or close friend that died from cancer, billions of dollars are poured into research for treatments and we “walk/run for a cure”, but is this enough or should we switch gears and focus on prevention, clean up our water, food and environment?
I happened to devote the first part of my professional career to the treatment side of the health continuum, trained and educated in business, working on strategy, financial forecasting and consulting for various life science companies, mostly in oncology. I spent a lot of time supporting those trying to find treatments for cancer, prospecting the needs and prioritizing funding. Then I got up close and personal with the C, when it struck down two immediate family members at the same time, and the questions started to swirl: could we have prevented it? Can I do more to help people preserve their health and be around for their families longer? Can I pivot roles and be on the front line of the fight and interact with people more directly? And since having a daughter in this increasingly polluted and fast paced world, these questions became even more meaningful and pressing.
I now believe that health is not only the absence of disease, it’s a state of wellbeing, maximizing our mental, spiritual and physical self. Also, prevention can go beyond avoiding risk factors and focus on mitigating some uncontrollable circumstances in our lives. With this personal and professional mantra, my interest now lies in disease prevention, particularly women’s and children’s health. We need a new paradigm, in which health and prevention services are holistic, longitudinal and positive rather than one-off and driven by fear. Why? Because we keep hearing that doctors do not have the time or the necessary training to offer “positive health”, because we need more than healthcare to be truly healthy and there are no “one-stop-shops” for comprehensive health/wellness/prevention services that target mind, body and spirit. And why women’s health? Because some women deal with silent, traumatizing or debilitating conditions such as infertility, endometriosis, cancers and because women need and deserve healthy pregnancies. Walking a new path is usually taxing and sometimes people get lost. But this is how new territories are found and hope is renewed. My hope is to find like-minded people along the way and start helping women and children directly, concretely and positively.
My Health and Prevention Plan 