CEO of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), Shelley Fuld Nasso along with Justin Birckbichler Cancer Survivor

Justin Birckbichler (Berk-bick-ler) to discuss why he got involved in Survivorship Today, as well as his personal experience dealing with the triumphs and challenges of life with cancer. Joining Justin will be Shelley Fuld Nasso (FoldNas-So), CEO of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), who can discuss the latest research on the long-term impacts of cancer and ways to better support survivors’ needs. Website: SurvivorshipToday.com
MOST OF US KNOW SOMEONE WITH CANCER. THANKS TO ADVANCES IN RESEARCH, THERE ARE NEARLY 17 MILLION CANCER SURVIVORS IN THE U.S. TODAY, AND NEARLY HALF OF THEM HAVE SURVIVED 10 OR MORE YEARS SINCE THEIR DIAGNOSIS. HOWEVER, MANY STILL FEEL UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE FUTURE AS THEY COPE WITH THE MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF THE DISEASE.
A PROGRAM CALLED SURVIVORSHIP TODAY: WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE WITH CANCER AIMS TO HELP PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE REALITIES THAT PEOPLE AFFECTED BY CANCER FACE EACH DAY. ACTOR STERLING K. BROWN IS NARRATING THIS SERIES BY BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB, WHICH TELLS THE STORIES OF CANCER SURVIVORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
JOINING US NOW ARE SHELLEYFULD NASSO, CEO OF THE NATIONAL COALITION FOR CANCER SURVIVORSHIP, AND JUSTIN BIRCKBICHLER, A 28-YEAR OLD SURVIVOR FEATURED IN THIS SERIES.
We learned about.
• Justin, what is the Survivorship Today program and why was it important for you to get involved?
• Shelley, when your organization was founded, cancer survivorship was a new concept, and in many ways it still is. How has cancer survivorship and care changed over the past 10 years?
• Justin, as someone who has been through it, what do you wish people knew about life after a cancer diagnosis?
• Shelley, what can each of us do to provide more support for people living with cancer?
• Justin, where can people go for more information and support?
Shelley Fuld Nasso, Chief Executive Officer
The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS)
As Chief Executive Officer,Shelley Fuld Nasso leads the public policy activities of NCCS at a time of rapid and fundamental health care system change. Shelley joined NCCS in 2013.
Prior to joining NCCS,Shelley served in leadership roles at Susan G. Komen, where she leveraged Komen’s grassroots network in Washington, D.C., and in state capitals. She is a graduate of Rice University and holds a Master of Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.
Shelley’s commitment to the work of NCCS is strongly tied to the experiences in the cancer care system of her dear friend, Dr. Brent Whitworth, a beloved physician who was diagnosed with stage IV cancer days before his 42nd birthday and who passed away 19 months later. Through Brent’s experiences, Shelley witnessed the strengths and flaws of the cancer care system and embraces the notion that policy change can make cancer care better for patients and caregivers.
Shelley and her husband Michael live in Maryland and are the parents of three boys.