Submitted by John Blue
From PHN Issue 55, Winter 2024
“Remember What We Are Fighting For”
We, the brothers, cancer survivors at Huntingdon in Pennsylvania, along with some of the medical staff, have started a cancer support group. We meet a couple times each month to help each other fight this monster that has come into our lives.
Continue reading “Cancer Fighters and Survivors at SCI-HUNTINGDON”By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 54, Fall 2023
The goal of cancer screening is to catch cancer early, when it is more treatable and curable. Some cancer screenings, like colonoscopies, are recommended for everybody once they reach a certain age. However, other types of screening, like prostate screening and mammograms, have traditionally been recommended based on gender assuming that this matches sex assigned at birth. The medical guidelines for cancer screening do not yet reflect the needs of trans people, and there is also limited data about trans people’s risks for various cancers and how gender-affirming care like hormones and surgeries may affect these risks. As a general rule, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Transgender Care recommends that people get cancer screenings based on the body parts they have, regardless of gender or hormones.
Continue reading “Cancer Screening for Transgender and Gender-Diverse People”By Shawn Harris
From PHN Issue 53, Summer 2023
“There is a list of 132 inmates diagnosed with cancer,” announced the psychologist assigned to my block. She was sitting in front of her computer as the Psychology Department head and I discussed the commencement of the first-ever Cancer Support Group at my prison. I had for the past year been stressing the importance of having a cancer support group at my facility. We were having a meeting to finalize the date and time when the group would start. We weren’t certain if there were even enough inmates diagnosed in the prison to warrant a support group. In fact, the Psychology Department head specifically asked me how many inmates I knew were currently battling the illness. He even struggled to recall one or two he remembered working with in recent days. So, when the psychologist said the number, we were all stunned.
Continue reading “Incarcerated by Cancer”By Johnnetha S. Hawthorne
From PHN Issue 43, Summer 2020
My name is Johnnetha S. Hawthorne, and I have had cancer five times in the course of my life. My last bout with cancer was in 2017, while I was incarcerated. This is my story of discovering I had cancer, what helped me through that extremely hard time, and how I survived with help from loved ones. I hope my story encourages others to find their strength and know they can make it and will if they just keep going.
My journey with breast cancer began on May 28, 2017, when I discovered a lump on my right breast while showering. My first reaction was sheer panic. I touched the area repeatedly in disbelief. I met with the nurse and asked her to examine me. She did and was as terrified as I was. I told her about my cancer history, and she immediately contacted the head of the medical department.
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Prison Health News 