News & Press

World Cancer Day | Portrait of a Friend’s Experience

Spencer Williams

World Cancer Day | Portrait of a Friend’s Experience

Cancer affects all of our lives, whether through a friend or family member or because we’ve had cancer ourselves. That’s why we’re supporting World Cancer Day, which aims to inspire others to take action as communities and as individuals. Cancer is a diverse disease, and it affects everyone differently too. Today, we zoom in on a close friend of the AMSkier family, an active community member, a lover of basketball and a Cancer survivor.

Spencer Williams is fun, upbeat and positive. He’s the kind of person that makes others feel welcome in social situations and is well-liked by everyone that meets him. A few years ago, Spencer noticed that something wasn’t quite right. He went to a local doctor and was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. After going through Crohn’s disease treatment for about a year, and not feeling any positive change, Spencer decided to get a second opinion from a Crohn’s Disease specialist. Listen to his personal recollection of his experience.

(Audio Summary: Spencer learns that he does not have Crohn’s Disease, but that he actually had stomach cancer.)

Spencer continued, noting how stomach cancer isn’t normally screened for in the United States. Because of this, stomach cancer is not typically found in the early stages. Spencer attributed his early detection to the biopsy done by the specialist and his thoroughness.

When Spencer was diagnosed, he experienced what he described as an “eerie calm” after hearing the news as well as some anger, confusion, and frustration later in the process. Like many people, Spencer wanted to know what might have caused his cancer. According to his doctor, his cancer was not caused by genetics or environmental factors; certainly a mind-boggling concept for anyone who likes feeling they have some amount of control over their health.

Spencer had a total gastrectomy, which eliminates the stomach as a holding cell and connects the esophagus directly to the small intestine.

When asked about his support network, Spencer had some valuable pieces of advice that he learned from a friend who went through something similar. Here is a clip of what his friend Bob told him, and what Spencer now tells others.

(Audio Summary: Assemble a small team of close friends and family. Help them understand your needs as you go through this process and put yourself first.)

Since Spencer’s total gastrectomy, he goes back and gets tested every 6 months. Fortunately, he has had a clean bill of health for a couple years, and we wish and hope that this good news continues. Spencer will tell you that having had cancer changes you and tweaks your outlook. Listen to his reflections below:

We hope this moment with Spencer gives you some insight and perspective when it comes surviving cancer as an affected family member, friend or as a cancer patient. Although cancer alters your life, it doesn’t need to take over your life. Spencer is so much more than a cancer survivor. Recently, Spencer participated in Coaches vs Cancer, helping to raise over $5,000 for the Northeastern, PA chapter. He’s also still the upbeat, fun-loving, outgoing person he has always been. In an effort to do better in our cancer prevention efforts as a community and as individuals, please visit World Cancer Day’s website.

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Concerns About The Zika Virus

Concerns about the Zika virus have spiked this year as the World Health Organization declared Zika a global public health emergency and hundreds of cases were reported in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued travel guidance for pregnant women to postpone travel to Zika-affected countries.

For camp directors and for anyone responsible for the care of others it’s important that focus remains on mosquito prevention. Here are some important facts to know about the Zika virus and on mosquito prevention.

The Zika virus is spread by the Aedes mosquito and can make anyone sick for up to a week with fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes, and other symptoms. But it’s especially dangerous for women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy because it increases the risk of babies born with microcephaly, a condition marked by an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development.
There is currently no vaccine to prevent the disease or drug to treat it, making it essential that people avoid mosquito bites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC emphasizes that avoiding mosquito bites requires multiple strategies, such as wearing long-sleeved pants and shirts when outdoors. But it says that mosquito repellents are essential, too.
“Using an insect repellent is one of the best ways you can protect yourself from Zika and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes,” says Harry Savage, chief of ecology and entomology activity at the CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases.
And Consumer Reports’ tests showed that some repellents worked much better than others at protecting against the type of mosquitoes that transmit Zika.

According to Consumer Reports, the top Aedes mosquito insect repellents were composed of 20 percent picardin and kept mosquitos from biting for 8 hours. Specifically, the top performing products were Sawyer Picardin and Natrapel 8 Hour.

Products with IR3535 (Ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate) didn’t make Consumer Reports list of recommended sprays. Neither did repellents with 2-Undecananone or those that contained 7 percent deet or less than 20 percent picaridin.

They also advise skipping most products made with natural plant oils, such as California Baby Natural Bug Blend (a blend of citronella, lemongrass oil, cedar oil, and other ingredients) and EcoSmart Organic, (which includes geraniol, rosemary oil, cinnamon oil, and lemongrass oil). They did not last for more than 1 hour against Aedes mosquitoes, and some failed almost immediately.

At AMSkier Insurance, we care very much about the safety and health of our insured as well as the preparedness of our camp directors. If you found this article relevant, you would really enjoy our regularly scheduled SKI-Way blog which features the opinions of AMSkier Partners, Camp Directors and other experts on issues that are important to camps. These blogs and podcasts offer helpful information for Camp Directors and Counselors on a wide range of issues, including how to protect campers and camps from sexual predators, handling transgender issues and minimizing the unlimited amount of risk involved in operating a summer camp. If you are interested in insuring your camp, business or personal belongings with us, please contact us.

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Ezersky Safety College

A continuing education program for Certifying Camp Safety Directors

In association with Lackawanna College and AMSkier Insurance.

Become a Certified Camp Safety Director

A camp’s most critical mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for campers. Building a safer camp starts with your staff, and building a safety-minded staff starts at the Ezersky Safety College Camp Safety Director Certification Program.

Built on cutting-edge safety information, this seven-course program develops the expertise of camp directors or long-term staff members in critical areas, including up-and-coming safety issues.

Students graduate with the knowledge and skills needed to create a culture of safety for children at camp. Benefits to camps include:

Access to updates about incidents at camps
Recommendations for improving safety practices
Career advancement for key camp personnel
Fewer incidents meaning fewer insurance claims and lower costs
Improving the camp’s standing with families, staff and local communities
Providing campers a safe, nurturing environment for summer fun

The Camp Safety Program Courses

The Camp Safety College offers seven courses on critical safety topics:

Facilities and Grounds Management covers common repairs, maintenance planning and inspections
Transportation and Travel Supervision reviews laws, driver safety and vehicle inspection maintenance and storage
Emergency Preparation, Management and Security conveys the public relations and security guidelines needed to respond to and manage incidents, injuries and catastrophes
Health and Sanitation, from communicable diseases to drugs and drug testing
Leadership Issues and Recommended Solutions, teaching safety leaders to educate counselors and parents in safety and security
Kitchen and Food Service, designed to help reduce health hazards in the camp kitchen
Latest Activity Program and Safety Issues introduces the newest and safest equipment for camp programs and other current issues

Curriculum Requirements

To be certified as a Camp Safety Director, students must complete 28 hours of lectures, demonstrations, practicum and related instruction.

Courses must be completed over an 11-month period, but attendance and coursework can be tailored to meet the needs of the candidate.

Courses are offered at various locations, including the ACA National Conference, the Tri-State Camp Conference and regional camp conferences through the U.S.

Ezersky Safety College Faculty

Alan Cooper, Esq.

Gary Kimball, M.S.

Bruce Lipton

Roman Matlaga, D.O.

Christopher Thurber, Ph.D.

Partnering with Lackawanna College

Lackawanna College is a fully accredited, two-year college in Scranton, PA. They have partnered with AMSkier Insurance to support the Ezersky Camp Safety College.

Registration, Tuition, Scholarships

To enroll, candidates must apply to the Ezersky Camp Safety College by contacting the college coordinator:

Karen Gillmann, College Coordinator

KarenG@amskier.com

570-226-4571

A qualified candidate should:

Have five years (or more) of camp experience
Be expected to continue at camp for the next three to five years (or more)
Have completed two years of college or the equivalent
Be willing to make the commitment needed to attend classes, and pursue 28 hours of continuing education
Possess good communication and presentation skills
Be a responsible and reliable member of the camp staff

Tuition costs $1,500 for the full camp safety director program.

A limited number of scholarships are available for qualified candidates at AMSkier-insured camps. An additional $500 scholarship may be available to members of camp or non-profit professional associations.

Camp Safety Directors must seek recertification annually.

About the Ezersky Safety College, Founded 1999

Henry M. Skier, Founder

Norman E. Friedman, M. Ed., Dean of the Safety College

In association with Lackawanna College and AMSkier Insurance

Sponsoring Partners

Association of Independent Camps of the ACA

Long Island Association of Private Schools and Day Camps

Association of Jewish Sponsored Camps

New York State Children’s Camp Safety Group

New York Camp Directors Association

Rockland/Westchester Counties Day Camp Association

American Camping Association, New York/New Jersey Section

Wayne County Camp Association

The single ‘yes’ startup

I was just talking to a startup about their project. They wanted to supply cafes with a new high tech food service. The idea was good and interesting and they we’re thinking big – too big. In their mind the path to success was cutting a deal with a large chain who could roll out their innovation at scale. Big ambitions are great, but the problem with leveraging the scale of another organisation is this.

I then suggested they find 1 cafe, with 1 owner, who can give them an answer to test the concept. If they say no, at least you can ask why and learn something. When dealing with big companies we also need to remember the people often say ‘Yes’, to get us off their plate. To revert us to someone else who can say ‘No’. And you guessed it, this process can drag on for months and meetings until you get to the final and real ‘No’. All the while you’re believing you’re making progress, but it’s down a long lead dead end.

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