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If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you may be wondering if you’ll qualify for Social Security disability benefits. Unfortunately, the answer may not be a simple yes or no. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has different eligibility criteria for each applicant.

Danielle Ofri is an internist at Bellevue Hospital, an associate professor of medicine at NYU, and editor in chief of the Bellevue Literary Review. Her latest book is What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear. Doctor-patient communication is a two-way highway of information, with each person endeavoring to convey information to the other. But there can be numerous roadblocks and detours, as anyone who has been party to our medical system can attest.

On May 31 st, I had the absolute pleasure of watching Marin Mazzie sing these words during “Broadway & Beyond,” a night of powerhouse musical performances by Mazzie and her husband Jason Danieley.

Paul Kraus had already proven himself to be a survivor by the time he was diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma in 1997. Born in a Nazi labor camp in 1944, Paul survived a cross-country escape to Poland with his mother and older brother when he was just a few months old. Four years later, he survived the ocean voyage aboard a refugee ship to Australia where the family started a new life and where he has lived ever since. Unfortunately, that emigration to one of world’s top producers of asbestos during the height of the mineral’s worldwide popularity probably also led to his unexpected diagnosis of mesothelioma almost 50 years later.

In 2013, Beau Biden, former Vice President Joe Biden’s son, was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma. Beau was the attorney general of Delaware and served his country overseas in Iraq. As Joe put it, “Beau Biden was, quite simply, the finest man any of us have ever known.” In May 2015, Beau passed away at the age of 46. Since then, Joe Biden has dedicated his life to making strides in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and care.

Dozens of genes have been linked to both autism and cancer. For example, one form of autism is caused by a mutation in the PTEN gene – this same mutation is also linked to head, neck, thyroid, prostate, skin, breast, and lung cancer, and much more.

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it is important to give particular awareness to the unique experiences and needs of people with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). These are individuals diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer, meaning the cancer has spread to more distant parts of their bodies. Metastatic breast cancer has become a disease that often can be managed for a longer period of time through various treatments.

This month at the Cancer Support Community, we’re highlighting community advocacy as one of the best ways to build relationships, create dialogues and increase understanding for those affected by cancer. You can become a community advocate whether you have had cancer or have been a caregiver or loved one to someone living with cancer.

"By definition," Lillie Shockney says, "hope is something in the future, something that motivates us to go forward in some manner. When someone is facing cancer, it's important from the outset to learn what that person's life goals and hopes are and to think about whether these hopes can be fulfilled. Are they realistic? Sometimes, you have to step back and take a different path."

This week’s blog post is part 3 in a Q&A series with Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley. Marin and Jason will be honored with the Founders Award for Empowerment at CSC’s Spring Celebration next Thursday.