Tag Archive for: Jeff and Summer

MPN Patient and Care Partner Share Clinical Trial Experience

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MPN Patient and Care Partner Share Clinical Trial Experience from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

MPN Empowerment Leads Jeff and Summer share their experience participating in a COVID-19 clinical trial. Jeff believes that if you get an opportunity to participate in a clinical trial, you should take it. There are so many new medications in the pipeline for MPNs and you can help change the standard of care for future patients.  

See More from Jeff & Summer

Transcript

Jeff:

Hi, I’m Jeff. 

Summer:

Hi, I’m Summer and hi, I’m Zelda. 

Jeff: And we’re your Network Empowerment Leads for the Patient Empowerment Network and we’re the leads for the myelofibrosis section, which Summer is a myelofibrosis patient. And we’re here today to talk to you about clinical trials. And we’ve had some experience, but what we’re going to tell you about today is not a trial that deals with myelofibrosis. But our experience in the COVID-19 vaccine trial for Moderna at University of California San Diego. And tell us about how it started, Summer. 

Summer: Well, I’ve never been in a trial test before, and neither have Jeff. We went to UCSD, to where it’s conducted, and they were very friendly, very nice, very encouraging. But the strange thing, one of the things is I thought there’d be a huge waiting room. And they took us right in, and the whole time we were there, I didn’t see anyone other than the staff. So, I went in one of the rooms, and various doctors and nurses and assistants came in to take blood, to take my temperature, to ask me medical questions, things like that. The whole thing took probably about an hour and a half, and they were very encouraging. And then the last person that came in said, well, I’ll be back in a few minutes, and I’ll bring the vaccine in. So, I thought, oh, I guess I made it. But then when they came in, he said, no, you consulted with another doctor, because I have myelofibrosis that could slant the test. So, I wasn’t able to sign up and help people. But I do remember another thing about COVID. I was in the first group, because I’m older and have a disease, to get the vaccine. And I remember it was at Petco Park in San Diego, and there were so many people there that people had to park blocks from there. And that’s fine. Walking is no big deal. There were a lot of really old people that could barely walk, and they were going, I’ll never forget that. 

And there was one woman that was very overweight. She was in a walker. The poor old thing could hardly walk. So, I remember I walked behind her the whole time, because I thought I can call for help if anything happens. But I still have that picture. And here’s Jeff’s view. 

 Jeff:

So, I went up with Summer to sign up for the vaccine test as well with UCSD. We thought we could make a difference and help. So, I went through the same, they gave everybody the same thing. Different doctors and nurses and assistants came in. They took your blood. They took your medical history and so forth. And then they went out of the room and left me there. And they came back in, just like Summer. And for me, they came back in with a hypodermic needle filled with vaccine or placebo. And they gave me the shot. And of course, they don’t tell you whether you had the placebo or the vaccine. And they sent me home. But before I went home, they had me load this little app onto my phone. And I have to fill it out every Sunday. I’ve been doing that now for about two and a half years, I guess. Whether you just got a couple of questions and you submit it. It’s part of their program. And they also periodically… I have to come back for other appointments. And they actually, of course, made a second appointment. So, I got the second shot in the Moderna combination. And they kept, each time I came back, they’d take blood. They wanted to see how the blood was forming antibodies, I guess. And so, I kept coming back. And they didn’t tell you what was happening until finally, I got an email that said the doctor was going to have a Zoom presentation or a web presentation. And basically, he came on and he gave the statistics that they had collected and said that the vaccine seemed to be working very well which was really nice to see. But we stayed in the… We would still stay with them because they wanted to see how long it lasted. And whether your antibodies would last. 

 So, I’ve been still going regularly. Eventually they gave us the third shot, the booster shot. And I haven’t had any word whether I’m supposed to have the next booster shot. I have an appointment with them in about two weeks to go. They call you back so they can check your blood. And presumably I might get another vaccine. So, it was a very interesting experience. And like Summer mentioned, I didn’t hardly ever see any people there except the staff. The place was clean. They were very, very friendly. It seemed to be well organized and run. And we felt happy. I felt happy to be part of the solution for COVID anyway. And that’s my experience. 

So, our thought to you all was if you get an opportunity to participate in a trial, take it. Especially for those of you with myelofibrosis, there’s a lot of medicines coming down the pipe. They may need some people to be in trials. If you meet the requirements, go ahead and take it. It’s a worthwhile experience. And you can maybe be helping medicine. That’s it for this week. I’m Jeff. 

Summer:

I’m Summer. I’m Zelda. 

Jeff:

See you next time. 

Summer:

Bye. 

Importance of Music for an MPN Patient and Care Partner

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Importance of Music for MPN Patient and Care Partner from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 MPN Empowerment Leads Jeff and Summer discuss the role music has played in both of their lives and how it has specifically helped amid Summer’s myelofibrosis diagnosis. Watch now to hear how music has influenced their lives.

Transcript

Jeff:

Hi, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

I’m Summer and this is Zelda.

Jeff:

And we’re your Patient Empowerment Network Leads for the myelofibrosis portion of the Patient Empowerment Network. Here to talk to you today about music. How music affects you when you have cancer. Is it good, bad, or what? And what do you think, Summer?

Summer:

I think it has a very positive effect because, for example, I just finished doing an hour of Zumba dancing and I love Zumba music, and I now have 5,00o steps on my Apple Watch. I think it can really raise your endorphins and be very good for the immune system.

Jeff:

Well, research proves Summer absolutely right. There’s been a lot of research into how music affects the body. Music is a tremendous de-stresser, it helps people relax, and all of those things affect your physical body. Summer has talked at length about how the mind and body connection works.

For me as a caregiver, it’s a little bit different. I’m a musician. I play the piano. I play in a band and I love to listen to music. It takes me to other places and it relaxes me. And it takes my away from, similarly, it takes me away from the stresses that caregiving can sometimes provide. Now we don’t have too many, but it does. So really that’s how we would feel about music. We have two different approaches to it. Music is definitely a positive in dealing with your myelofibrosis.

Until next time, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

Summer. I’m Zelda.

Jeff:

We’ll see you later.

Patient and Care Partner Discuss Value in MPN Care

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Patient and Care Partner Discuss Value in MPN Care from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 MPN Empowerment Leads Jeff and Summer talk about how they define value in Summer’s care. For instance, one important thing that brings value to them is how accessible their healthcare team is. Watch now to hear more about what they value on Summer’s journey with myelofibrosis.

Transcript

Jeff:

Alright Summer, I’m just looking at the bill for your last doctor’s appointment.

Summer:

Wow.

Jeff:

Do you think we get good value for our money? Oh. Hi, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

HI, I’m Summer.

Jeff:

And we’re your Patient Empowerment Network Network Leads for myelofibrosis. And we’re here to talk to you today about how do you define value for your healthcare dollar. What do you think is important for healthcare dollars, Summer?

Summer:

Well, really important is that the doctor and all the medical staff really listen to the patient and really aware of how the patient is doing everything. Also, that they need to explain because my doctor will come up with little charts with funny little numbers on them and something about blasts which doesn’t have anything to do with blasting like having fun. So, she’ll come out with that and explain all that.

Also, to let you know what’s going on with your medication. Where I get my medication is Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy and they’re very good. They always call me about any changes. They let me know when the order’s in. They always offer to delivery it, but I don’t think that’s a very good idea so I do pick it up.

Also, that they see the patient as an individual and respect their individuality. For example, I’m big on mind-body connection. I think there’s a huge connection doing exercise daily, eating pretty good, but I do like my sweet treats too. I don’t give that up. And Zelda, she just likes to lay around, and that’s what she enjoys. Don’t you, baby?

Jeff:

Well, a couple of things that I think are important for your value for your healthcare dollar, one is accessibility. Is your doctor easily accessible? And with the UCSD system that we’re on, we have great accessibility. They have a wonderful patient portal on the web that you can go and find out all of your results. I don’t have to keep a book of past blood test results because it’s all on the web and I can see it. And if we want to get in touch with them, there’s a way to send them a message and  they get in touch with us within the day for sure. And we can make an appointment that way. It’s really, really a good system. So, accessibility is one thing that’s really important.

Another thing is availability of specialists. Myelofibrosis is a very, very rare and unusual disease and there aren’t a lot of specialists in the whole country. We’re truly blessed to have Dr. Tanaka who is a researcher and a specialist is myelofibrosis and myeloid diseases be on call when Summer showed up at the hospital with her first incidence that led to this diagnosis. And UCSD has a number of doctors that are specialists, so we are fortunate. But you need to find a healthcare system where you have enough specialists.

And the final thing that I can think of is, you need to be your own advocate. The doctor is doing the best they can, he or she can, to solve your problem and to work within what they think is normal standard, normal practice, but they’re not mind readers. They can’t understand what is concerning you. You need to speak up, ask questions, and let the doctor know your concerns so they can address them. That’s the patient’s job as opposed to the healthcare system or the doctor’s job. Speak up.

So those are some of the ways we define value in our healthcare ‘Til next time, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

Summer. Zelda.

Roles Reversed: Taking Care of Your Care Partner

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Roles Reversed: Taking Care of Your Care Partner from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

MPN Empowerment Leads Summer and Jeff are experiencing a bit of a change. Jeff is Summer’s care partner, however the roles have been reversed. Jeff recently had a knee replacement and is unable to do many tasks he was before. Summer has jumped in taking care of Jeff, but admits it’s harder than it looks. Watch and hear Summer’s comedic take on switching roles and stepping into the care partner role.  

Want to connect with Jeff and Summer? Email them at question@powerfulpatients.org or text EMPOWER to (833) 213-6657. 

Transcript:

Jeff:

Summer! Bring me a snack.

Summer:

Yes, I’m bringing you a chocolate bonbon.

Jeff:

I don’t want a Ghirardelli, I want a Walker’s shortbread.

Summer:

Ugh, yes sir.

Being a caregiver is not a day in the park.

Jeff:

Hi, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

I’m Summer, hi.

Jeff:

We’re your MPN Network Managers for the Patient Empowerment Network. We’re here today to continue talking about caregiving. In the last video, we talked about me being Summer’s caregiver and or different roles and what I bring to that and so on. We had a chance in the last month to actually turn the tables.

In mid-December I had a knee replacement and since then, Summer has been acting as my caregiver. Tell us how it’s been, Summer.

Summer:

Ugh, it’s been exhausting. I’m driving, I’m doing dishes, I’m emptying the garbage, I’m cooking all the meals, I’m getting everything exactly the way you want. You’re lot more of a perfectionist than I am…

Jeff:

Yup, I should be able to drive in another week or so and Summer hates driving, so I really appreciated that. And pretty soon I’ll get back to my role of doing the driving anyway. She’s done a wonderful job, really been very helpful and I’ve been extremely appreciative of it. What’s been the hardest thing for you, Summer?

Summer:

Thinking about all the little things you take for granted that you couldn’t do, like mailing your letters and emptying your garbage. That’s everything, you really have to be on the ball and think of what the needs of the other person really are.

Jeff:

Very true. We stressed that in the last video. Needs of the patient. We have a real supportive relationship in our normal marriage in general, so for us it’s not difficult, but some people may have a difficult time adjusting to being a caregiver or even being a patient.

Summer:

Right.

Jeff:

One thing you have to remember, give the caregiver time for themselves. I think I did a pretty good job trying to give you time for yourself.

Summer:

Yeah, I did my aerobics, I visited friends, I rehearsed for the play, I did my stand-up comedy, yeah, I did.

Jeff:

So, it’s worked well for us. So, as you enter into this relationship of patient and caregiver, be aware of each person’s needs. And, you should have a good experience with it.

Summer:

Darling, I have an urge for a chocolate cookie. Could you bring me one? I gotta take a nap.

Jeff:

Certainly. I’ll get it after we say goodbye to the people. Goodbye, ’til next time.

Summer:

Bye, ’til next time.

Patient and Care Partner Address the Mental Aspects of an MPN

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Patient and Care Partner Address the Mental Aspects of an MPN from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

MPN patient Summer emphasizes how important it is to have goals. One of her personal goals is to walk 10,000 steps each day! As a care partner, Jeff shares his main goal is to do whatever he can to help Summer achieve her goals. Some of their shared goals are to live life to the fullest, always live in the moment and don’t let the disease you have control your life.  

Want to connect with Jeff and Summer? Email them at question@powerfulpatients.org or text EMPOWER to (833)213-6657. 

Transcript:

Jeff:

Hi, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

Hi, I’m Summer. And hi, I’m Zelda.

Jeff:

And we’re your MPN Network Managers for the Patient Empowerment Network. Here to talk to you today about emotional and metal aspects of dealing with a severe or very serious disease. Summer has some real strong thoughts about that, so I’m going to let her tell you about it.

Summer:

Well, I think it’s really important to always have goals. And one of my first goals, this is my Apple Watch right here to keep track of my steps so I can get 10,000 steps a day. That’s really important. Of course, I’m still teaching my classes. That’s very inspiring. We’re putting on a show pretty soon. And my goal right now too is I’m getting ready for my next comedy show. I’m going to talk about the cloud and about those little people that are in the traffic signs that tell you when to stop or go. And of course I’ve got Zelda and I don’t know what her goal is, just to be a good dog. So, that’s what my goals are. To stay positive.

Jeff:

And Summer has those goals, but one serious and important thing that we decided when she got this disease was we were going to live every life, every moment of our lives to the fullest, in the moment. And that took some adjusting because I’m a real planner. We pay attention to enjoying everything that we do, each day that we do it. And, we decided early on not to change our lifestyle, not to let the disease control us, and just to keep going. And, that alone plus Summer’s fantastic exercise regimen has really done a lot to keep her in good shape and to keep her strong.

As a caregiver, my goals are do whatever I can to help her achieve her goals. So, it’s really important to live life in the moment and keep a positive attitude. Don’t let the disease control you. That’s our advice.

‘Til next time, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

I’m Summer and I’m Zelda.

How an MPN Care Partner Handles Burnout

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How an MPN Care Partner Handles Burnout from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

MPN Empowerment Leads Summer and Jeff discuss care partner burnout. Jeff is the caregiver of Summer who is living with myelofibrosis. Jeff admits to doing majority of the research so he can properly advocate for Summer’s care. In this video, Jeff talks about various outlets he uses to counteract burnout such as photography, music and improv theater.

Want to connect with Jeff and Summer? Email them at question@powerfulpatient.org or text EMPOWER to (833)213-6657.

 

Transcript

Summer:

Wake up. I’ve finished making your bonbons, Jeff. You said you wanted these.

Jeff:

Thank you, Summer. Mmm.

Summer:

Is it delicious?

Jeff:

It’s delicious. Just what I needed.

Summer:

Well, I’m glad I could please you.

Jeff:

Well, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

I’m Summer.

Jeff:

And we’re your MPN Network Managers for the Patient Empowerment Network. We’re here to talk to you today about…

Summer:

What caregivers do, and sometimes caregivers might get burned out. So, we’re talking about what you can do periodically to not get burned out, to keep going, and being great like you are. What are some of the main things you do, Jeff?

Jeff:

Well, I…one of the main things I do is try to remove myself from worrying about myelofibrosis and Summer’s disease. And I go out into nature and I take a lot of nature pictures. I go to National Parks, and take pictures of scenery, beautiful scenery, and big mammals and stuff, which I really really enjoy doing. It sort of clears my head and really refreshes me. I recently took a trip, as a matter of fact, to Yosemite. That’s one of the things I do.

Summer:

And another thing has to do with music.

Jeff:

Yes, I love music and I play in a band. I play the keyboard and the guitar, and I do that once a week at my church and I really really…again it requires quite a bit of focus and it puts my mind in a completely different place. So I remove myself from the worries, is one of the things I do. I’m very fortunate because Summer is doing quite well and doesn’t need huge amounts of physical care.

Summer:

Right, but you do all of the medical stuff because I can’t stand to hear about medical stuff, it’s boring.

Jeff:

That’s right. I do do a lot of the research and keep up with what’s going on in the myelofibrosis area and that’s kind of what my portion of the caregiving is. We’ve talked before about working with, dealing with these disease requires a team approach: the patient, the caregiver, and the medical team.

Summer:

Right.

Jeff:

It’s very important.

Summer:

And we also do improv. That really helps.

Jeff:

That’s correct. We’ve mentioned before that we run a small theater, and one of the things we do in the theater is improvisational theater. We make things up, now you’ve got to be in the moment, so your head can’t be disclouded and worrying about other things. It takes your mind off of the disease, and in my case, worrying about Summer’s disease and the caregiving responsibilities. So that helps us. It actually helps both of us a lot.

Summer:

Right. So do you want any more bonbons or is that a no?

Jeff:

I’ll just take another bite. You know, if we keep going like this, you could become the caregiver and I’ll be the patient. So until next time, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

I’m Summer.

Jeff:

Bye!

Summer:

Bye!

How an MPN Patient Resumes Exercise After Time-off

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How an MPN Patient Resumes Exercise After Time-off from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

MPN Network Managers Summer and Jeff talk about Summer’s journey to resuming exercise after a shingles diagnosis.

Summer believes exercise is important and strongly helps with her myelofibrosis. She currently does a daily Zumba session and is working her way back up to 10,000 daily steps.

We would encourage you to continue and be as active as your disease allows you to be.

Want to connect with Jeff and Summer? Email them at question@powerfulpatient.org or text EMPOWER to (833)213-6657.

Transcript:

Jeff:

Hi, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

Hi, I’m Summer.

Jeff:

And we’re your MPN Network Managers for the Patient Empowerment Network, here to talk to you about…

Summer:

Resuming activity after you’ve been laid up and haven’t been active for a while.

Jeff:

How many steps did you get, Summer?

Summer:

8,000. Only 2,000 more to go, so yay!

Jeff:

That’ll be great. Summer’s always been really an exercise addict. She really, truly, she’s tries to get 10,000 steps a day. She does Zoomba for an hour and she really tries to get a lot of exercise. She believes that’s really helped her with her myelofibrosis, but then something happened.

Summer:

Yeah, about the middle of June I got shingles even though I had the vaccine and shingles really made me exhausted. Really affects the nerves, it was horrible. So, I got really out of shape. I was just doing exercises laying down, mainly. So now that I am recovered, I’m trying to get back in shape.

Jeff:

And how are you doing that?

Summer:

Well I started out trying to do 30 minutes of Zoomba on my exercise tape, and that was only a couple of days ago, so I’ve gotten up to 50 minutes today. And I’m trying to get a total of 10,000 steps. When I get that goal, I’ll be back where I was before.

Jeff:

And how do…what are you working your way up to it, dear? What’s happening?

Summer:

Yeah, so many steps a day and today I got 8,000. But part of it, this helps your exercise a lot. I hadn’t been clothes shopping in those two months, so we went shopping today and I bought something to wear to a birthday party. So, that kind of renewed me and gave me energy to walk through the mall.

Jeff:

So how many steps did you get in the mall, do you think?

Summer:

I don’t know. I have now, like I said, I have 8,000 total, so I don’t know maybe I got 2 or 3 thousand in the mall.

Jeff:

So, we would encourage you to continue and be as active as your disease allows you to be. It’s sometimes a struggle. You may only be able to walk just around the block, but it’s really important and Summer knows how important it is. And, it’s been a real struggle getting back to where you were. Is that correct?

Summer:

You’re correct. That was the worst thing in my life.

Jeff:

So, that’s our advice to you for this short bit of advice is stay active to the very best of your ability.

Summer:

Right. Well, we better get back to walking.

Jeff:

We have 2,000 more steps to go. Yep. Well that’s our advice for today. Till next time, I’m Jeff.

Summer:

I’m Summer.

Jeff:

Bye.

Summer:

Bye.

Recording of Summer Golden’s Comedy Show Fundraiser

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Recording of Summer Golden’s Comedy Show Fundraiser for the Patient Empowerment Network – April 24, 2021 from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

On April 24, 2021 Summer Golden and Jeff Bushnell—beloved PEN Managers—hosted a virtual comedy show to benefit the Patient Empowerment Network featuring comedians who have journeyed through cancer. In order of appearance: Summer Golden, Laura Hiltz, Josie Leavitt, Kat McCoy, Karin Tausan, and Mickey Zeichick.

How an MPN Patient and Caregiver Make the Most of Life

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How an MPN Patient and Caregiver Make the Most of Life from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 MPN Network Manager Summer who lives with myelofibrosis and her care partner Jeff discuss the importance of not putting your life on hold. Summer continues to work on her comedy routine and Jeff has been enjoying ZOOM photography classes. Watch to hear how else Summer and Jeff continue to make the most of life despite any challenges that may present itself. 

“We have not put our lives on hold during COVID or as a result of Summer’s MF diagnosis. Our challenge to you is to do the same.” 

Want to connect with Jeff and Summer? Email them at question@powerfulpatient.org

How to Be a Good Care Partner 101

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How to Be a Good Care Partner 101 from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

 What is the most important aspect of being a good care partner? MPN Network Managers, Jeff and Summer give tips on best practices for being a phenomenal care partner. Jeff breaks down his strategy for managing Summer’s myelofibrosis, including modifying their schedules due to Summer’s fatigue.

Most important tip?
Jeff: “To be a good caregiver, you have to take care of yourself.”

Want to connect our MPN Network Managers, Jeff and Summer? Email them, question@powerfulpatients.org

Cancer Patient and Care Partner Tips for Keeping Busy During A Pandemic

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Cancer Patient and Care Partner Tips for Keeping Busy During Pandemic from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.

MPN managers Summer and Jeff share tips for keeping busy during a crisis. They both share how exercise, scrapbooking, and zoom improvisational theater has kept them occupied.

Summer, who lives with myelofibrosis, shares her experience with getting her regular blood draw and some of the new procedures in place allowing her visit to be smooth.

How are you keeping busy? Let Summer and Jeff know: question@powerfulpatients.org