Introducing Jessica Catlin, Colorectal Cancer Empowerment Lead

Jessica Catlin Introductory Video from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

PEN’s new Empowerment Lead, Jessica Caitlin, introduces herself and her journey with rectal cancer. She also encourages anyone looking for support to reach out to her at jess@pivotsolutions.live  or on Twitter at @jesscatlin or LinkedIn.

Transcript

Jessica:

Hi, I’m Jess Catlin. I am a survivor of stage 3B rectal cancer, young onset, and I am so excited to be the new Colorectal Cancer Empowerment Lead for the Patient Empowerment Network.

I currently live in Chicago and I was here when I was diagnosed at the age of 39 with rectal cancer, only after I was turned away at age 38 because the doctors thought I was too young for colon cancer.

Obviously, being an advocate for myself was a huge part of my success in coming out of rectal cancer. I have been a survivor for five years now, so my doctor says I’m officially cured. But being empowered was a huge part of my treatment, as well, and as being a survivor too and some of the issues that have come up ever since my treatment was over.

So, I have done a variety of different things with organizations, speaking at walks, speaking to medical school students, so on and so forth. So, now being part of the Patient Empowerment Network seems like a wonderful way to really tie it all together. We’re here to help you, to answer questions, to be a source of information, inspiration. Even just to be a friendly ear because nobody knows this journey like somebody else who has been through it. As the organization’s name suggests, to empower you because we know empowered patients really have the best chance to thrive.

Listed here on my bio page are links to some of those talks and webinars, and so on and so forth, that I have done with other organizations if you want to check those out. Going forward, I will be creating original content for the Patient Empowerment Network and I don’t know what that looks like yet, I want to hear from you. I want to know what is most helpful. Is it blogs? Is it short videos? Is it webinars or panel conversations? Let me know. My contact information is here on this bio page. Please feel free to reach out or on social media as well, and please consider sharing your own story too. Even if you feel like you don’t have it all figured out or are in the middle of things right now, that can be very inspiring and helpful to someone who is following in your footsteps.

Additionally, you can also support Patient Empowerment Network with your time, talent, or treasure. Thank you so much for stopping by. Thank you for being a part of and supporting Patient Empowerment Network.