On March 3, 2020, I received the following email from Matt Florey, Cancer Control Strategic Partnerships Manager, American Cancer Society:
“Mr. Desjarlait: Congratulations! Yesterday, a panel representing 6 different organizations reviewed nominations for Minnesota Colorectal Cancer champion of the year. The group unanimously voted to recognize your efforts to increase cancer screening. We will be publicly announcing this award as part of the program at the MN Blue Reception on Thursday, March 12th from 6-7:30 pm at the Como Zoo and Conservatory in Saint Paul.” I was surprised by the announcement. I knew that people were often recognized for their work in Cancerland. But I never expected that my work as an advocate in the Native community would be recognized. Natives didn’t get much play in the mainstream cancer world. But, then, that was, to me, the significance of the award. It wasn’t about personal recognition, but rather recognition that the Native community was part of the equation in the relentless battle against cancer. But then there was the pandemic. On the day before Governor Walz issued his first Emergency Executive Order, the event was postponed. Mr. Florey’s email stated: “Please stay tuned for the official announcement.” My assumption was that the event would be rescheduled at a later date. Days, weeks, months went by. During that time. I didn’t receive any word on rescheduling the event. Was it forgotten? On October 28, 2020, I decided to send an email to Mr. Florey inquiring about the award. He responded: “I am sorry we didn’t follow up more clearly. The framed certificate is in my office but I would like to find a way to share that award on a stage. I am going to reach out to my colleagues to see if we could schedule a web presentation that might work for your schedule. That would allow us to invite others and potentially record it.” It looked like things were finally rolling. I had expected a response within a few weeks as to what the plan would be. But I didn’t get a response. On December 18, 2020, seven weeks later, I sent an email to Mr. Florey asking what was going on with the award. He responded: “My apologies. I should have gotten back to you. We are planning to recognize you and other awardees from 2020 on a webinar in 2021. In early January I will send out a couple of potential dates and times to see if there are any that work better for you.” A few weeks went by and I heard nothing regarding the award. On January 26, 2020, I wrote a post on Facebook regarding Mr. Florey’s mishandling of the situation. I concluded by writing: “I’m not sure what the holdup is. In the age of Zoom, hosting an event shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve pulled a fairly heavy load as a survivor speaking about cancer, writing about cancer, and living as a survivor. “Our stories as survivors are important because we give hope to others. We refuse to be mere statistics used for graphs or for fund-raising. And, it’s important that Native American survivors receive recognition. All too often, our struggles, and stories, get lost in the mainstream cancer world. “But, getting shoved in the backroom is an old story for us. It’s been going on since 1492. A new day doesn’t bring change. It’s just a repeat of yesterday.” Mr. Florey responded later that day: “My apologies for not contacting you sooner and for any hard feelings I may have caused. I should have followed up with you sooner to confirm our plans for your recognition in March of 2021. “In past years we asked for award nominations in January for the previous year but in 2021 it is our intention to honor those that would have been recognized in 2020. We would like to recognize you if you are still interested in participating. I plan to reprint the certificate and retrieve the frame that has been in my office since March of 2020.” On March 3, 2021, I sent an email to see if the award had been sent out. Mr. Florey’s response was: “I will double check and follow-up with you.” There was no “follow-up” by Mr. Florey. Instead, I followed up with an email on March 20, 2021 and asked about the award. Mr. Florey wrote: “I am sorry it has not arrived. I will follow-up with the colleague who agreed to mail it (she has been on vacation) and I will make sure we get something else in the mail (with a tracking number) if I do not hear from her today. My apologies for the delay and thank you again for your distinguished service. Best wishes.” On March 22, 2021, Mr. Florey sent an email verifying the Zoom award presentation (on March 23) and ended his correspondence with: “Could you send me a mailing address so that we can send you your award?” I thought it was a bit odd that he was asking for my address after an exchange of previous emails in which I was told the award was going to be mailed. Despite that, I thought that now that he had my address, the award would be in the mail and I could expect it in a week or two. But, a week or two turned into two months. On May 22, 2021, I sent an email to Mr. Florey and, once again, asked about the award. But this time there is a change-up. Two months later, there hasn’t been a response. Apparently to Mr. Florey, who represents the American Cancer Society in this matter, out of sight, out of mind is the best way to handle the situation. For me, although I received the 2021 Minnesota Colorectal Cancer Champion of the Year recognition at the Zoom event, I have yet to receive the actual award. Call it being in a canoe without a paddle.
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Robert Desjarlait
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