Patient choice is everything when you’re fighting cancer. Trust me.

I’ll never forget the three words that my doctor said to me when I was diagnosed. “You have cancer.”

So many things rushed through my mind. How bad is it? Do I need chemo? Will I survive?

And decisions had to be made. The biggest one — where do I go for treatment?

After talking with family and friends and meeting with doctors at a few area hospitals, I chose care at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Newnan, Georgia.

And that’s when I learned not everyone has that choice because a state law says CTCA can treat only a limited number of Georgia patients. Just 35 percent. The rest have to come from other states.

I was shocked, sad, and furious.

I can’t imagine being turned away from a cancer hospital because of a law. Luckily, I didn’t have to, but others have, and others will.

Every Georgian should have a choice in their cancer treatment. I chose CTCA because after meeting with my doctor, we talked not only about my treatment plan, but my life after beating cancer. It was a deeply personal choice, and no one should be robbed of that choice because of a law.

I joined Speak Now Georgia, along with other patients, caregivers and concerned citizens because we believe that Georgia patients deserve better. And I urge you to act now. Visit SpeakNowGeorgia.org, contact your state legislators and sign the petition to change this ridiculous law.

Cancer doesn’t wait, and neither should Georgia.

 

Marty Oxford is a Cancer Fighter and advocate for Speak Now Georgia. She lives in Pine Mountain, Ga.