MSI Press Blog

  When cancer enters your life, the search for a good oncologist becomes urgent and deeply personal. But if you live in a rural area, that search can feel like a scavenger hunt across miles of farmland, winding roads, and medical deserts. Here's what I've learned—and what I wish someone had handed me in a moment of overwhelm. 🧭 Start Local, Think Strategic Your primary care doctor is often your first guide. They may not specialize in oncology, but they can refer you to regional cancer centers or specialists who treat your specific type and stage of cancer. Ask them directly: “Who would you trust with this diagnosis?” 🧑‍⚕️ Know Your Oncologist Types Medical oncologists manage chemotherapy and systemic treatments. Radiation oncologists specialize in targeted radiation therapy. Surgical oncologists remove tumors and perform biopsies. You may need more than one. Ask how they coordinate care and whether they’re part of a cancer center or hospital network. 🚗 Bridge th...

  Cancer needs money -- for research, for support of patients, for training, for informational materials. There are many ways to give to cancer funds. Here are some: Team Beans: child brain cancer; click HERE for information about the CNN reporter's family story behind the fund The Jimmy Fund (connected to Team Beans): click HERE for information about Run for Dana-Farber Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) Foundation -- an important one for me personally St. Jude , the children's hospital founded by Danny Thomas that provides free care to children can always use funds American Cancer Society , of course There are MANY more funds and foundations in need of donations. Just do a search for the kind of cancer or the kind of support you wish to make and the word, donate. You will find many opportunities. And know what? Even $1 helps because 1000 people giving $1 is already $1K. If you are a loved one are struggling with cancer, you may not have much to give, but consider $1. And if a l...