A Kidney Cancer Advocate Shares Advice for Newly Diagnosed Patients

Some cancer statistics, according to Sid Sadler, a kidney cancer survivor and patient advocate, may often reflect 'backwards-looking data' making it important to stay up to date on reliable information and what is going on in the treatment space.

In order to discuss this topic further, Sadler sat down for an interview with CURE during Kidney Cancer Awareness Month in March to discuss kidney cancer updates awareness efforts. He went on to share his advice for somebody who's a newly diagnosed patient and seeking resources or connections.

Additionally, you can read more on Sadler’s insights and experience with kidney cancer, as well as facts and tips, in his recent Instagram Takeover with CURE!

Transcript:

The first piece of advice I give to people who are newly diagnosed with kidney cancer — because those are usually the people who reach out to me, perhaps finding me on social media — is to try not to Google too much. This is not only because it's overwhelming, but also because, scientifically and statistically, the numbers you see online are backwards-looking, not forwards-looking. You'll only see statistics from the past 10 or 15 years. We all know that cancer treatments are improving as we learn more, so those numbers are changing and have improved. That's my first piece of advice.

For someone interested in getting involved in advocacy or learning more about their disease, my second piece of advice is to check if their cancer center has any resources. See if where they're being treated offers resources. Often, these office visits are only 15 or 20 minutes and can feel rushed. It can feel surreal because you're sitting there, being told you have cancer, and you're thinking, “What?” Then, it's “Okay, see you later.” It's surreal because you expect a regular doctor's appointment with weight and temperature checks, and then they say, “Oh, by the way, you have cancer, and we're talking about prognosis and statistics now.” So, ask for resources, whether it's a therapist, someone to talk to, or a support group.

Specifically for kidney cancer, there are great organizations for young adults and kidney cancer patients and caregivers, such as the KCA [Kidney Cancer Association], with which I've been heavily involved, KCCure and KidneyCan. These three come to mind, and they all do excellent work in their own ways to advocate for patients and caregivers affected by kidney cancer. Reaching out to these organizations is simple. I know people who work specifically for each of them, and they try to make it as easy as possible for patients or caregivers to get involved because, ultimately, they serve the patients and caregivers. Without them, these organizations wouldn't exist.

Those are the three pieces of advice I give to newly diagnosed people: try to limit Google searches, even though it's tempting. Ask your doctors or cancer center about local or in-center resources, and get involved with organizations specific to your cancer, like the KCA, KidneyCan and KCCure.

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