Prevent Cancer Foundation & Autism Society of America

Ryan Gorman hosts an iHeartRadio nationwide special featuring Jody Hoyos, CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. For Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Month, Jody Hoyos joins the show to discuss the importance of cancer screenings and prevention strategies and the foundation’s work as the only US-based nonprofit organization solely dedicated to cancer prevention and early detection. Also, for National Autism Acceptance Month, Kristyn Roth, Chief Marketing Officer for the Autism Society of America, checks in to discuss general facts about autism, what autism acceptance means, and how people can take action and get involved.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to iHeartRadio Communities, a publicaffairs special focusing on the biggest issues impacting
you. This week, here's RyanGorman. Thanks so much for joining us
here on iHeartRadio Communities. I'm RyanGorman, and we have a few very
important conversations lined up for you.In just a few minutes, we'll talk
to the Autism Society for National AutismAcceptance Month. But first April is also

(00:22):
Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month,and for more on that, we're joined
now by the CEO of the PreventCancer Foundation, Jody Hoyos. This is
the only US based nonprofit organization solelydedicated to cancer prevention and early detection.
Jody, thank you so much fortaking a few minutes to come on the
show. And let's start with thebackstory for your organization. How did the

(00:45):
Prevent Cancer Foundation first get started?Yeah, great question, Ryan. The
Prevent Cancer Foundation started thirty eight yearsago. Actually, so it began.
The founder of the organization is boOut and her father passed away from a
preventable cancer and a death she feltdidn't need to occur. And what she

(01:08):
noticed when she looked around at thecancer landscape is that no one was talking
about prevention, so and no onewas talking about early detection, Like,
what can we do to bring powerback to people to have some control over
our health? And so she setabout and created the Prevent Cancer Foundation and
really worked to make sure that preventionand early detection were be included in part

(01:34):
of the conversation. You know,there was so much energy and resources being
dedicated to treatment, which is important, but we don't want to leave out
that there's quite a lot we cando much farther upstream in order to prevent
these cancers from happening to begin with. So we've been on a journey to
make sure that we are advancing preventionand early detection and making it accessible to

(02:00):
everyone since then. And you haveit right on the home page of your
website and everyone can find out moreabout the Prevent Cancer Foundation at Preventcancer dot
org. Early detection equals better outcomes. That is exactly right, and it's
really important for people to know thatpiece, so that early detection does equal

(02:24):
better outcomes. When we looked acrossthe landscape and we did our annual early
Detection survey this year, we foundthat almost seven out of ten adults in
the US are behind on at leastone routine cancer screening, so they're missing
the opportunity to prevent a cancer altogether, or to detect it early when you

(02:46):
have more treatment options, when youcan have less intense treatment options. And
there are a few things that peoplecited as to what would encourage them or
what helps get people in to gettheir screenings. One of those things is
that once people know the benefits ofearly detection, they are more likely to

(03:08):
schedule their screening. So, Iyou know, sometimes we think about cancer
as very very binary, so yes, you have it or no, you
don't have it, But there aredegrees in there when we think about cancer
stages, and we want people toknow that the earlier you know a problem

(03:29):
is there, the better the chancesare at a long, healthy life,
and or preventing it to begin withwould be the best case scenario. Despite
the fact that we've come a longway in terms of different treatments, the
fact of the matter is, especiallyfor certain types of cancer, early detection
can be key. That's exactly right, that's exactly right. I mean,

(03:53):
it really does offer you more options, and many times people are afraid,
they don't want to know, orthey're concerned about. There's something called financial
toxicity, so they start doing theworst case scenario planning, which is,
you know, if if I findout I have cancer, I how am

(04:14):
I going to afford this? Howam I going to manage this? What
is my family going to do?But again, we want to remember that
the earlier something is detected, thebetter your chances are at having less invasive
treatment options or more treatment options.So it doesn't have to be quite so

(04:34):
overwhelming. But I know, Iknow it's it can be scary for people.
April is Cancer Prevention and Early DetectionMonth. I'm Ryan Gorman and for
more on all of this, we'rejoined right now by the CEO of the
Prevent Cancer Foundation, Jody Hoyos.You can learn more about the work this
organization does and support that work atPrevent Cancer dot org. I want to

(04:59):
ask you about early detection in particular, because that includes and correct me if
I'm wrong, doing these screenings evenif you don't have any kind of symptoms
that you're concerned about, right becausesometimes you know, cancer can be detected
and you will have had no ideait was there. Ah. That's a

(05:21):
great point, Ryan, and thatis a common source of confusion, So
you're you're right. You want toget in for a screening before signs or
symptoms appear. So oftentimes signs aresymptoms show themselves in later stages, so
you don't want to ignore those.You want to talk about that and get

(05:43):
to see a doctor if that ifyou're having signs or symptoms. But routine
screening or early detection is what wedo when before signs or symptoms appear.
And when we talk about barriers towhy people are not being screened, that
there was some interesting information. Sothe top reason people reported for being behind

(06:05):
on their cancer screenings was simply thatthey did not know they needed to be
screened, and that was true acrossnearly all survey participants groups. So this
awareness is a really important component.However, there are additional barriers that were
shared by different racial and ethnic groupsin the United States, and you mentioned

(06:27):
one already, which so white adultscited that they didn't have lack of fines
or symptoms, which is why they'renot getting screened. Hispanic adults said the
inability to afford the cost was thetop reason for not being up to date
with screenings. Black adults said skepticismof the healthcare system was a reason for
not being up to date. AnAsian adult cited fear of the screening itself

(06:51):
as a reason for not being upto date. So there are all kinds
of reasons that are preventing people fromgetting the routine care that they need.
But we want to make sure thatwe are sharing information that helps address these
concerns. For those who have afamily history tied to cancer, how important

(07:15):
is it for them to make surethey go and get these cancer screenings.
It's important for everyone, but whenyou have a family history like that,
that adds importance to those screenings,right, it does, it does,
And this is this is an interestingissue. So everyone who has a family

(07:36):
history of cancer, and you haveaccess to that information, or you can
get access to that information, it'simportant to have. So you want to
talk to your provider if there's afamily history of cancer to find out when
you should begin different screenings, andthat will depend on your family history and
which cancers may have impacted your family, and then how often you need to

(07:57):
be screened. However, it isa big misconception that only people with a
family history of cancer need to bescreened for cancer. It was the second
most common reason cited in our surveyfor why people weren't being screened. They
thought, Okay, well, Idon't have a family history, so I
don't need to worry about it.And the truth is that most people with

(08:18):
cancer don't have a family history,so about five to ten percent of cancers
are hereditary. So we want tomake sure you know if you have a
family history, I can find outdo and talk to your provider. But
everyone, as you said, everyonewho, regardless of family history, needs
to be getting their routine screenings.I'm Ryan Gorman. April is Cancer Prevention

(08:41):
and Early Detection Month, and we'rejoined now by the CEO of the Prevent
Cancer Foundation, Jody Hoyos. Thisis the only US based nonprofit organization solely
dedicated to cancer prevention and early detection. And you can learn more about the
work they do and find some reallygreat resources at Prevent Cancer. How much
did the pandemic set us back interms of Americans going and getting screenings,

(09:09):
because I know, you know,for a variety of different reasons, that
obviously slowed down quite a bit.Have we seen it ramp back up or
are we still lagging in part becauseof that Yeah, this's a great question
that the pandemic slowed us down.There was a significant decrease in cancer screens
and routine health in general, asyou mentioned, and that was for a

(09:31):
variety of reasons, and we havenot seen the rebound or the bouts back
that we would expect. The reasonscited are different. So when we were
looking at the pandemic and during thattime, there was a combination of barriers
people's face that were just really theproviders offices were closed. I mean,
people couldn't get into a dentist's officeto schedule routine appointments and which is where

(09:56):
you'd get your oral cancer screen isthrough your dentists actually, or people were
really afraid of getting exposed to COVIDat a healthcare provider's office, and so
that was a barrier. Then nowwe've moved into a time and potentially it's
just overloaded information time constraints that peoplejust don't even know what they should be

(10:22):
doing. They don't know what screeningsthey need. So we have not bounced
back, and we still have quitea ways to go in getting people where
they need to be. We generallythink of middle aged and older adults in
terms of going and getting cancer screenings. But we have seen what seems to

(10:43):
be a rise and there are alot of different reasons that can potentially be
the cause of that, but wehave seen an increase in younger people being
diagnosed with cancer. Are there thingsthat younger people should keep in mind when
it comes to cancer prevention and screenings. Yeah, so you know, your
risk of cancer increases as you getolder, but as you mention, we're

(11:07):
seeing more and more cases presenting inyounger adults. I mean, there's a
couple of things that people can bethinking about. One is inform yourselves on
what you need to be doing andwhen, so you know, if you
look at our resources, you cansee that you really need to be thinking

(11:28):
about this when in your young twenties, about the screenings you need or the
or vaccines you need that can preventcancer. So we have the human papaloma
virus vaccine, which the HPV vaccination, which can prevent up the six types
of cancer. And that doubt thatyou know, the age of initiation for

(11:50):
that is between nine years old andtwelve years old, and I'm certainly not
suggesting nine to twelve year olds toneed to know what they need to be
doing to prevent answer, But itis younger than people might think. This
is not just something that impacts olderpeople. And we need to be thinking
about our lifestyle. So there's alot of information out there about diet,

(12:13):
exercise, but it's real. Sothose are things it is never too late
to start, but it's a greatthing to be thinking about when you're younger.
We're joined right now for Cancer Preventionand Early Detection Month by the CEO
of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, JodyHoyos. I'm Ryan Gorman. You can
learn more and support this organization atPrevent cancer dot org. Are there some

(12:37):
tips general pieces of advice Jody thateveryone should be aware of when it comes
to cancer prevention and early detection thatwe haven't touched on yet. I think
the most important part that I wantto make sure people know is to advocate
for yourselves so you it would it'snot uncommon for people not to hear from

(13:05):
their healthcare provider about what they needto be doing, and that doesn't mean
you shouldn't be doing it. Sopeople are expecting to have information sent to
them, are given to them aboutthe screenings they need about prevention and how
to really optimize their health, andvery often that's not happening, and that's
for many reasons. I mean,our healthcare providers are really trying to achieve

(13:28):
quite a lot in short visit times. And so advocate for yourself, know
what you need and what your familyneeds so that you can make sure that
you have a long and healthy life. And finally, tell us about some
of the resources and information that everyonecan find at prevent cancer dot org and
some of the ways everyone can getinvolved and help support the work you're doing.

(13:54):
Oh that it's great. So wehave some great resources on prevent cancer
dot org that includes a chart thatgives you the types of prevention and chancer
screenings you need at every age,So it's a one stop shop as opposed
to trying to go ten different placesto figure out what you need. When

(14:15):
we have a list of low andno cost screening locations for you. And
we do have a tool where youcan create a personalized health plan that you
can print out and take with youto your provider's office. And you don't
have to provide personal information so age, gender, and you can get that
resource for yourself. You can supportthe organization by sharing the information that we

(14:39):
have, so we do have greatsocial media channels. You know, anything
that you're hearing today that would behelpful for your organization, friends, or
family, please share it, reachout to us if you want to talk
more about how or what could bebeneficial for you and your group of people

(15:01):
that you care about. And keepan eye on the work we're doing at
the local community level as well asthe work we're funding and research to advance
prevention in early detection. There's alot of very cool things happening in this
field, and we want to makesure everyone has access to it. For
Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month,we're joined by the CEO of the Prevent
Cancer Foundation, Jody Hoyos. Again. You can learn more and support their

(15:24):
work at Prevent Cancer dot org.Jody, I want to thank you so
much for taking the time to comeon the show and for doing all the
tremendous work you're doing in this area. We really appreciate it. Thank you
so much. Ryan. All right, I'm Ryan Gorman here on iHeartRadio Communities
and now let me bring in ournext guest. April is National Autism Acceptance
Month, and to talk more aboutthis, I'm joined by Kristin Roth,

(15:46):
chief marketing officer for the Autism Societyof America, which you can learn more
about and support at Autismsociety dot org. Kristin, thanks so much for coming
on the show, and let's startwith the backstory on how you organization was
first created. Absolutely thanks for havingme Ryan. The Autism Society is the

(16:06):
nation's largest and oldest grassroots autism organization, and annually, with our network of
about seventy affiliates across the country,we support over half a million people per
years by focusing on advocacy, education, support, and community programming, and
by really focusing on initiatives that lookto advance opportunities in healthcare, education,

(16:33):
employment, safety, and public policy. We're focused on executing a national reach
with that meaningful local impact. Howmuch has awareness and acceptance of autism grown
in recent years, that's a greatquestion. So we all know that words
matter and how we use language isincredibly important, and awareness was largely helpful

(17:00):
when the knowledge and understanding of whatautism was was largely misunderstood and not discussed
across mainstream media or in everyday conversations. We have advanced in that greater awareness
of what autism is and how theautism community shows up within our greater society,

(17:27):
and much like anything, our languagehas to evolve as well. So
it's really been a natural evolution fromawareness to acceptance because it's not just enough
to be aware of something. Wehave to accept that everyone's experiences are unique
and valid, and that we allneed different supports and services to really allow

(17:52):
us to live fully and however wechoose to live our lives. Is something
that impacts a lot of Americans anda lot of families. What are the
general numbers in terms of how manykids are diagnosed with autism and how many

(18:12):
autistic adults we have here in theUS. Yeah, So for basic background,
of course, autism is a complexand lifelong developmental disability, and it
typically may show up in a personthrough socialization skills, communication relationships, and

(18:33):
self regulation. However, it's soimportant to note that the autism experience is
really different for everyone, and aswe really focus on at the Autism Society,
everyone's experience is totally valid and unique, and we need to honor that.
Our current data shows that about onein thirty six children are diagnosed with

(18:56):
autism in the US, and thereare five point four million adults in the
US who are autistic. So that'sa little bit more than two percent of
the population. So there's a reallystrong chance that you work with someone,
love someone, or know someone that'sautistic. I'm Ryan Gorman, joined now

(19:19):
by Kristin Roth, chief marketing officerfor the Autism Society of America. She's
with us for National Autism Acceptance Month. You can learn more about this organization
at Autismsociety dot org. To followup on what you were just mentioning the
amount of people who have autism herein the US and the likelihood that many

(19:44):
of us, like you said,know someone, love someone, or friends
with someone who is autistic. Canyou give us a sense for those maybe
who feel like they're kind of awareof what autism is but maybe don't have
a firm grasp on the developmental disorder. Can you dive a little deeper into
that? Absolutely? So. Imentioned a little bit earlier that while the

(20:11):
autism experience is different for everyone,it typically may show up for people in
terms of social skills, communication relationships, and self regulation. And what that
really means is that people may presentthemselves differently. So someone may be non
speaking and not be able to verballycommunicate, but they use an eyepad or

(20:37):
other assistive devices to communicate or wants, needs, goals, and desires.
It's incredibly important to always presume confidence. We all know that autism is a
spectrum and we need to treat everyonewith dignity and respect, just like we

(20:59):
expect to be treated that way aswell. So, in addition to some
communication skills, being able to interactsocially may not come as naturally. You
know, there may be some additionalprompts or plain language that's preferred, maybe

(21:21):
not making eye contacts, and thensome sensory consideration. Sometimes there can be
over stimulation, whether it's sound,color, lights, and being able to
be open minded and accepting to creatingaccommodations and educating yourself about those inclusive mindsets

(21:42):
is an incredible first step towards reallywelcoming and accepting the autism community for exactly
who they are. You mentioned sensorystimulation, and I've got to say I've
noticed more and more places, differentvenues offering areas that allow those who are

(22:03):
experiencing that issue to be able toenjoy themselves. It's a more inclusive environment
for those with autism. Have younoticed a rise in that as well?
Absolutely, an inclusive community really startswith that inclusive mindset. So the Autism
Society works with plenty of community partnersand professionals and employers and event venues to

(22:30):
create a much more century friendly andinclusive designed experience. So, for example,
our Health Equity Initiative works with healthcareproviders, pharmacists, pediatricians, nurses
to make sure that they are supportingthe autism community in their healthcare needs and

(22:55):
making healthcare more accessible. So havingsupports for root ten vaccinations or how to
calm someone down in a doctor settingis incredibly important. Our safety programs work
with first responders and police departments toreduce and de escalate situations with the autism

(23:18):
community. We provide edu excuse me, We provide communication boards and trainings that
really help people to identify their interactionswith an autistic individual and how to better
support and navigate through certain experiences together. So it's taking it a step further

(23:41):
from that com room or sensory safespace which we love to see at venues
across the country, but also incorporatingit into our experiences with each other.
I'm Ryan Gorman and for National AutismAcceptance Month. I'm joined by Kristin,
chief marketing officer for the Autism Societyof America. So, Kristen, what

(24:03):
do we need to know about screeningfor and diagnosing autism? That's a great
question. So the Autism Society promotesthat individuals and caregivers parents should try to
speak at least three screenings before theage of three. So typically when working

(24:25):
with your doctor or pediatrician, theyhave a routine developmental screenings at nine to
twelve, eighteen or twenty four months, and you should be talking to your
doctor about any concerns or behaviors thatyou may have noticed. The earlier that
a person can get screened and diagnosedwith autism allows for earlier into the interventions,

(24:52):
supports, and services which can cannotbe overstated significantly in long term outcomes
for individuals to be able to havethe resources and support in place for them
to live fully. And that leadsme right into what I was going to
ask next. Once someone is diagnosedwith autism, what are some of the

(25:18):
resources, of the tools, ofthe strategies that have proven to be helpful
over the years. That's a greatquestion as well, so as you've heard
me say a few times now.Everyone's experience is different, so there definitely
is no one size fits all approach. At the Autism Society, we really

(25:41):
believe in making informed decisions with sciencebased best practices. So early interventions and
support services can range from speech tooccupational therapy to really having a strong plan
with your school system, an individualizededucation plan to make sure that your self

(26:06):
or your loved ones are really gettinga community of support in all of the
areas of their life. It's notjust you know, a couple hours at
a dedicated time per day. It'sreally working together with that network with family
and friends and your support team tohelp you build those skill sets that you

(26:30):
want to improve upon. As partof Autism Acceptance Month, you're doing a
Road to Acceptance campaign. Tell usabout that absolutely, and we are really
excited to have iHeartMedia as a partneras well. But the Road to Acceptance
Project is part of the Autism Society'sgreater efforts to celebrate differences for Autism Acceptance

(26:56):
Month, and thanks to our partnerslike Ipart and Good Nights and Chrysler,
we're hitting the road in our brandedChrysler Pacificus to connect with the community and
capture their stories. And it's reallyimportant to us to ask the greater community
questions about health, safety, employment, and more so that we can amplify

(27:18):
those diverse experiences as we continue ourefforts to advocate for necessary supports that are
needed right now. And finally,what are some different ways that those listening
can support the Autism Society of Americaand also get involved. So one thing

(27:38):
I want to highlight is that acceptancehappens every day and small acts can have
a really big impact in someone's lives. So whether you're speaking out if you
witness bullying, or even offering tohelp someone at the grocery store who may
be trying to support a loved onewho may be feeling overstimulated, it may

(28:03):
seem like a small moment, butit can have a big impact in their
overall day. There are so manyways to get involved on a daily basis,
Educating yourself and spreading awareness is justone of them. We also have
affiliates across the country that are hostinga variety of incredible events this month,

(28:25):
and you can find more about thoselocal affiliates and their event opportunities at our
website and Lastly, just try toget involved and be an ally and your
advocacy efforts. You can always learnmore support or give as well, and

(28:47):
we have so many resources at ourwebsite at Autism Soociety dot org. Kristin
Roth, chief marketing officer for theAutism Society of America, with us for
National Autism Acceptance Month. Kristin,thanks so much for taking the time to
come on the show. We reallyappreciate it. Thank you so much.
Ryan, it was great to behere, all right. Thanks again,
and one more time. For CancerPrevention and Early Detection Month, make sure

(29:11):
you check out Prevent Cancer dot organd for National Autism Acceptance Month, go
to Autismsociety dot org. And that'sgoing to do it for this edition of
iHeartRadio Communities. As we wrap thingsup, I want to offer a big
thanks to all of our guests andof course to all of you for listening.
If you want to hear previous episodesof this show, you can find

(29:32):
us on your iHeartRadio app. Justsearch for iHeartRadio Communities. I'm your host,
Ryan Gorman. We'll talk to youagain real soon.