A SAY YES TO HOPE HELPFUL HINT

Be Your Own
Best Advocate

Your voice belongs in the room.

You do not have to become a cancer expert overnight. You do deserve to understand what is happening, know what choices may exist, and be part of every decision about your life.

FIND YOUR VOICE QUESTIONS TO TAKE WITH YOU

THIS IS YOUR LIFE

Advocacy is not about being difficult.

It is about being present. Asking until you understand. Making sure your priorities are heard. Inviting more expertise when you need it. And remembering that a recommendation is the beginning of a conversation—not the end of your voice.

You don't have to know everything. You don't have to speak medical. You don't have to agree immediately. And you are allowed to ask, “What else?”

YOUR ADVOCACY TOOLKIT

Small actions can change the conversation.

🧭

Know Your Cancer

Know the exact diagnosis, stage, where it has spread and what your team is trying to accomplish.

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Know Your Testing

Ask what biomarker, molecular and inherited genetic testing may matter for your cancer.

👥

Build Your Team

Medical oncology is one voice. Surgery, radiation oncology, interventional oncology and other specialists may add possibilities.

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Get Another Opinion

A second opinion can confirm a plan, challenge it or uncover an option you have not heard yet.

📝

Take Notes

Bring questions. Bring someone you trust. Ask whether you can record the conversation. Keep copies of important records.

🔬

Ask About Trials

Clinical trials are not only a last resort. Ask whether one belongs in the conversation now or later.

📣

Report What You Feel

Side effects, pain, changes and worries matter. You are not complaining. You are giving your team information.

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Name What Matters

Your goals, family, work, travel, comfort, fears and definition of quality of life belong in treatment decisions.

TAKE THESE INTO THE ROOM

Questions that can change the conversation.

You do not need to ask all of them. Circle the ones that matter today.

What are ALL of my options?

What is the goal of this treatment—cure, control, shrinkage or symptom relief?

Has my case been reviewed by a multidisciplinary team?

Could surgery, radiation oncology or interventional oncology have a role?

Do I have all the biomarker and genetic testing I need?

What would you recommend if I wanted another expert to review this plan?

Are there clinical trials I should explore before I need them?

What would make you change this plan—and how will we know?

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION

You are allowed to...

Say “I don't understand.”

Ask for plain language. Ask again. Ask someone to draw it. Understanding your care is not a test you can fail.

Say “I need time.”

When it is medically safe to do so, you can ask how quickly a decision must be made and what information you need before deciding.

Say “This matters to me.”

Treatment happens inside a whole life. Tell your team what you are protecting—not only what you are treating.

Advocacy isn't fighting your doctor.

It is making sure you are part of the conversation. The strongest care can happen when patients and clinicians bring their expertise to the same table: your medical team knows medicine. You know you.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO ADVOCATE ALONE

Bring Say YES to Hope into the conversation.

Sometimes advocacy begins with one person helping you organize the questions, find the right specialist, understand a test or simply believe there may be another road worth exploring.

🧬 Biomarkers & Genetic Testing → 👥 Build Your Treatment Team → 🔬 TrialMagic → 💛 FRIENDS for Your Journey →

Your voice matters.

Your questions matter. Your priorities matter. You matter.
And when you need another voice beside yours, we are here.

CALL THE SURVIVOR LINE · 1-877-937-7478

This page is educational and is not a substitute for medical advice. Treatment choices and urgency vary by diagnosis and individual circumstances.

Be Your OwnBest Advocate