My Friend has Cancer?! - Part 6
"Life After Treatment"
Bios of My Friend Has Cancer?! Team:
Hernan Barangan is a filmmaker based in Los Angeles. When he was 15 he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia - and he beat it. He went on to pursue storytelling as a career, as a way to cope with and run away from his cancer experience. Now he turns that weapon back on cancer itself. He started the Cancer Rebellion, which is focused on the production of cancer-themed media from the viewpoint of the patients themselves. Principal photography recently wrapped on a 50-state production that collected nearly 100 interviews with young cancer fighters. After a successful festival run, the film is now available on iTunes and Amazon.
Andrea Betts, MPH, had just celebrated her 30th birthday and was a newlywed looking forward to starting a family when she was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. After finishing treatment, she discovered a passion for health and earned a Master of Public Health, majoring in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science, at the University of Texas School of Public Health, where she is currently a pre-doctoral fellow in the National Cancer Institute Cancer Education and Career Development Program. Andrea is passionate about improving quality of life and quality of care for adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. She has been an author on 10 scientific publications in journals such as Pediatrics, Cancer, and AIDS.
Jackie Ogg, MSW, has worked for over 30 years in the field of social services bridging direct service, philanthropy, and community engagement. In 2010, Jackie and her husband, Clay, lost their 20-year-old son, Brendan, to brain cancer. Since then Jackie has devoted more time to issues facing Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) with cancer. Jackie’s recent work centers on strengthening the role of friends for the AYA – from diagnosis, through treatment, into survivorship and at end of life. Jackie presented findings from focus groups she conducted with AYA and friends at the 2015 Critical Mass Conference. She is co-founder and artistic collaborator for Wordfall , an art installation inspired by Brendan and recently purchased by Memorial Sloan Kettering. Jackie has held senior leadership positions at Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington and the Community Foundation for the National Capital Region. She is currently a consultant whose clients include the Center for Nonprofit Advancement, University of Maryland School of Social Work, Montgomery County Coalition for End of Life Care and the Calvert Charles St, Mary's Continuum of Care. Jackie was recently named Board Chair of the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts in Washington, DC and the Ogg family was honored to receive the Hospice Caring 2015 Legacy Award in memory of Brendan.
Advisory Council Members
Rita Avila – survivor
Rebecca Block, PhD – Vice President Research and Analytics, MNR Analytics, former Director of Research, Critical Mass Young Adult Alliance
Sage Bolte, PhD – Chief Philanthropy Office and President, Inova Health Foundation, Former Executive Director, Life with Cancer
Asia Cutforth – survivor
Simon Davies, Executive Director and Hilary Gan, Program Director - Teen Cancer America
Patrick Eck – survivor
Rachel Kopilow – Videographer (friend of AYA)
Erin Price Schabert – Manager, Navigation Programs, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts (survivor)
Allison Stearns – Executive Director, Caring Matters
Christina Miller – Senior Program Manager, Ulman Fund for Young Adults (survivor)
Alli Ward – Chief Program Officer, Stupid Cancer (survivor)
Lori Wiener, PhD - Director, Psychosocial Support and Research Program; Pediatric Oncology Branch National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
Funders
Brendan Ogg Memorial Fund, Daiichi Sankyo, Genentech