[HTML1] Our first and second segments, dedicated to National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, feature Dr. Deborah Nagle, Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. She draws our attention to two critical points. First, colorectal cancer screening saves lives. If everyone age 50 years or older were screened regularly, as many as 60% of deaths from this cancer could be avoided. Second, colorectal cancer is a family matter. It’s imperative to be aware of your family medical history, even if that discussion can sometimes be uncomfortable or lead to worry. After all, sharing our concern about possible health problems is the first step toward taking action.
Life Love & Health: Special Edition Executive Producer Christopher Springmann adds to his conversation with Dr. Nagle by running some brief but moving public service announcements by actors Terrence Howard, Jimmy Smits and Morgan Freeman, who recorded these statements for National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
In our third and fourth segments, we learn what it means to never let go of your dream. For Chantal Banon, the struggle started with dropping out of high school, then overcoming a learning disability, and finally graduating from college as a registered nurse… while supporting her daughter. Chantal’s moving, real-life story won first place in West Coast University’s inspirational nursing stories contest. Christopher Springmann speaks with Chantal and her daughter, Jenee Brittingham, a high school senior who, at 17, is the same age now as when her mother left high school, about the experience earning a B.S. degree in Nursing at West Coast University. Joining them is Dan Holestine, Vice President of Marketing for West Coast University, who offers some insight about what makes this Southern California college so unique in the academic and medical worlds.
Segment A (0:00 – 11:00)
Christopher Springmann speaks with colon and rectal surgeon Dr. Deborah Nagle about the importance of screening for Colorectal Cancer.
Segment B (11:01 – 22:00)
Dr. Deborah Nagle on colorectal cancer as a family matter
Segment C (22:01 – 33:00)
Christopher Springmann speaks about earning a B.S. degree in nursing with Chantal Banon, RN, her daughter Jenee Brittingham and West Coast University VP of Marketing Dan Holestine
Segment D (33:01 – 44:00)
Chantal Banon, Jenee Brittingham and Dan Holestine
More about Deborah Nagle
Dr. Deborah A. Nagle, M.D. is the Chief of Colon and Rectal Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard Medical School. She graduated from University of Pennsylvania Medical School and trained in general surgery at Graduate Hospital and in colon and rectal surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, all in Philadelphia. She is certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery, and holds Surgery Instructor positions at Beth Israel and Harvard Medical. Her areas of clinical interest are laparoscopic, colon and rectal surgery; rectal cancer; colon cancer; diverticular disease; ulcerative colitis; Crohn’s Disease; and colon polyps.
For more information on colorectal cancer screening, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.
More about Chantal Banon
Chantal Banon, RN, dropped out of high school at 17. When she returned to a community college, she learned that she had dyslexia. As a single parent raising her daughter Jenee Brittingham, Chantal worked to fulfill the dream of becoming a Registered Nurse, finally earning a B.S. in Nursing through the unique undergraduate program at West Coast University in Southern California. You can find Chantal’s prize-winning essay on West Coast University’s Facebook page.
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