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10 Questions with ... Selma Schimmel
August 4, 2009
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NAME:Selma SchimmelTITLE:Founder and CEO, Vital Options International/HostSHOW:The Group RoomMARKET:National, presently syndicated, Internet in Fall 2009COMPANY:Vital Options InternationalBORN:Los AngelesRAISED:Los Angeles
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Founded Vital Options International in 1983 when diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28. Expanded operations in 1995 to all ages with TeleSupport Cancer Network and launch of the cancer talk radio show "The Group Room." Wrote book "Cancer Talk: Voices of Hope and Endurance from 'The Group Room,' the World's Largest Cancer Support Group," published in 1999 by Broadway Books, a division of Random House. Also the author of an advice column for Revolution Health, founding member and former vice president of the National Coalition of Cancer Survivorship, founding member of the Livestrong Young Adult Alliance steering committee, and member of C-Change, a national initiative chaired by former President George Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush with the goal of eliminating cancer as a major public health problem.
1. Why and how did you decide to use radio as a medium to talk about cancer? Why radio?
Radio was always my first choice as a medium to communicate about cancer. It's intimate and I wanted listeners to be able to focus with their hearts and ears, rather than being visually distracted. When the show began, it was much like a support group with lots of patients in the studio and I wanted to ensure the comfort of participants dealing with the side effects of cancer treatment. This was, after all, 1983.
2. People might think that cancer is a hard topic to make palatable to a casual radio listener. How do you overcome people's squeamishness about the subject, and do you find that people are getting more receptive to talking about cancer as the years pass?
Yes, over the years and with the significant advances in cancer detection and treatment, people are far more receptive to talking about cancer. While the topic can be scary and depressing at first thought by those who have not had cancer - who is not touched by cancer? So in that way, everyone can relate. But in reality, The Group Room is a show about life. Cancer can be seen as a metaphor for all the kinds of malignancies that people deal with. For some it may be a tumor, for others it could be an addiction or an abuse issue. A lot of people have to overcome obstacles and challenges in life. So in truth, the show teaches people how to cope with adversity. It makes me recall a listener who was a professor and her passion was reading and writing, but she was losing her sight. She didn't have cancer, but she listened to the show because she said it helped to teach her how to live her new life.
3. As the nation debates healthcare issues and the government's response, what do you think are the most pressing issues regarding cancer treatment that need to be addressed?
I am extremely concerned that some of the most important technologies and emerging therapies will not be available due to cost and imposed restrictions. PET scans, used in the diagnostic, staging, and even to support treatment, are routinely denied by insurance companies already. Targeted and biologic therapies are changing the face of cancer treatment. I would like to know how access to cutting edge therapies will be impacted? There is now a lot of interest around comparative effectiveness research, studies that draw conclusions about the effectiveness of a particular clinical intervention over another. We'll have to see the impact this has on cancer. As the healthcare debate continues, I think there needs to be more focused dialogue on specific diseases, especially cancer.
4. In the years you've been doing the show, what has surprised you most about the reactions you've gotten from the public, and/or from radio programmers?
What I was not prepared for were the many program directors reluctant to give the show a chance, because they called it "death radio" and were afraid it would drive listeners away. It's such the opposite! And the show is also not without humor.Callers into the show have at times surprised me with the questions they ask on air, but have not posed to their own doctors. This is alarming to me, as it is both a statement of how intimated and uncertain people can feel, but may also reflect the shrinking time that doctors have with their patients. The program has been extremely effective in helping navigate and guide patients in becoming their own best advocates and enhancing doctor-patient communication.
5. Having gone through the experience multiple times, how has having survived cancer changed you and your outlook on life?
I have learned there is a difference between being healed and being cured.
6. What's the most common question or concern you've fielded on the show?
"Am I getting the right treatment?" "I want a second opinion, but don't want to insult my doctor."
7. Of what are you most proud?
I am most proud that I was able to transform cancer into something so positive, and that my work allows me to help people 24/7 throughout the world.
8. What's the first thing you'd want to tell someone who's just been diagnosed with cancer? What do you say in that situation?
Be supportive but not dramatic. Acknowledge how sorry you are. Ask about their treatment and how it's going. Thank them for sharing their experience. Avoid comments like, "don't worry - you'll be ok." It negates one's experience and the seriousness of the situation. And while it's common to hear people say things like, "keep a positive attitude" - that is also best unsaid. Cancer patients will naturally have tearful days and feel fear or uncertainty. Sometimes, simply being present is even more important than words.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ___________.
...hope.
10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?
The best advice? In life - to "believe" in myself. In dealing with cancer - "try to think of treatment as a short term investment, for the long run return..."The worst? "Give it up."
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