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Private Patient Advocates, Inc.

Advocacy for patients and Medical research

From Patient To Patient advocate

On May 24, 2019, Janet Edwards, our founder, was faced with the life-changing diagnosis of Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, (ILC). She was given the choice between lumpectomy with radiation or a mastectomy without radiation. After surgery, she began researching ILC in depth. She discovered it is the second most common form of breast cancer, but only accounts for 10-15% of all breast cancer. The most common form of breast cancer is Invasive Ductile Carcinoma (IDC), which accounts for 80% of breast cancer.
The hallmark of ILC is the lack of a cell-to-cell adhesion protein, E-Cadherin, which causes it to grow in a single file formation and it rarely forms a lump until late stages. It often doesn't show on imaging and, even when it does, it might not be recognized due to its relative rarity. Upon the realization of how different ILC is from IDC, Janet searched for anything and everything published about ILC. She quickly discovered, in the United States, ILC is treated just like IDC, although they are very different diseases. She presented her findings to her oncologist and they collaborated to develop a patient-centered treatment plan. In addition to breast cancer, Janet has a condition that is suspected to be an autoimmune disorder that has attacked her GI tract and musculoskeletal system. Thus, she expanded her research and her medical navigation has spanned more than 10 specialists within four different medical systems.
Janet has been an avid patient research advocate and volunteer for five years, which culminated in becoming a Board Certified Patient Advocate in April 2024.
In June 2024, Janet made the difficult decision to leave her senior level corporate position to establish Private Patient Advocates, Inc. with the goals of helping patients and physicians and clinical researchers.

OUR SERVICES

Flexible Scheduling
Remote Sessions
Expert Consultation

Client Patient Advocacy

Patient advocates help clients understand:
  • Understand their diagnosis(es)
  • Physician reports
  • Treatment choices
  • How to navigate among multiple physicians/specialists
  • Financial and physical implications of choices
  • Insurance benefits and explanation of benefits
  • Medical bills

Research patient advocacy

Collaborate with medical researchers to represent the patient's voice in their projects and grants:
  • Obtain understanding of medical research projects
  • Compose original lay abstracts for grant applications
  • Write letters of support for grant applications
  • Attend regular team meetings to stay abreast of progress

Our values

Candid conversations are fundamental - We are candid and expect the same
Attitude is everything - We live with thankful hearts
Resiliance comes from faith - We believe God has plans for all of us
Empathy is in our DNA - We are patients, too

PRIVATE Patient Advocacy

Free: 30 minute confidential consultation, no obligation. Personal patient advocacy pricing varies with complexity, duration of engagement, number of healthcare providers, etc. All pricing discussed and agreed prior to any obligation and clearly documented in our client contract.

Research Patient Advocacy

Clinical research patient advocacy prices vary depending upon project complexity, deliverables, etc. Please contact us for more information.
E-mail us at: info@MyPPA.net or Call us at: (682) 419-7686 There is no cost or obligation for a 30 minute consultation. Helping patients is our top priority.