| Cancer Support Community

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a cancer survivor and pioneer for women, dies at 87.

On September 18, 2020, it was announced that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died after five bouts with cancer (including colon, lung, and most recently metastatic pancreatic cancer).

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Advocate Spotlight: Rujul Desai, JD

Each month, the Cancer Policy Institute profiles advocates who have been engaged in health advocacy. Read on to learn more about Rujul and his tip for people interested in becoming an advocate.

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Step Therapy: What Patients Need to Know

One of the major themes dominating health care discussions today is that health care costs in the United States are proving unsustainable. Practices known as utilization management (UM) are one of the ways by which health care costs have been addressed. As part of the Forum on Utilization Management, the Cancer Policy Institute (CPI) is releasing a series of blogs aimed at educating patients about different UM practices and techniques, how they impact access to care, as well as advocacy opportunities to address those barriers to care. Read this third blog in the series to learn more about Step Therapy.

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The Strength of Surrender

It would be great if we had some kind of roadmap for these unprecedented times, but this is a once-in-a-century event according to some estimates. No, the pandemic playbook is being written in real time, and, much as the world would like to move on, we are nowhere near done grappling with COVID and its life and death consequences.

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Hope – Pay Attention to the Small, Still Voice Inside

Merriam-Webster defines hope as follows: 1) to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true. This feels right to me. For those whose lives have been touched by cancer, hope is longing and acceptance and cautious optimism. Hope is central to resilience because it’s impossible to move past adversity without feeling positive about the future. A resilient mindset requires a hopeful mindset.

Kelly Hendershot, LGSW, LMSW

Kelly Hendershot works across Cancer Support Community (CSC) to strengthen relationships with network partners and ensure consistent, high-quality engagement across the organization. Her work centers on collaboration, best-practice sharing, and driving innovation that expands the reach and impact of CSC’s programs worldwide.

Since joining CSC’s headquarters team in 2020, Kelly has served as the lead liaison for patient and family programming across the growing network. In this role, she supports program development, quality standards, and cross-network learning, helping network partners implement effective, evidence-informed programming while fostering alignment and shared growth across the network.

Kelly previously served as Program Director for Gilda’s Club Quad Cities, where she advanced through a wide range of roles, gaining hands-on experience in facilitation, leadership, marketing, web design, and project management. Her commitment to cancer support began as a personal need during her husband’s cancer diagnosis and death, and has grown into a lifelong dedication to ensuring no one faces cancer alone—guided by the belief that community is stronger than cancer.