August 31, 2009
“Male-specific cancers can be especially difficult experiences for men to manage emotionally. The toll of the illness cuts at the heart of beliefs about manhood, masculinity, and identity.”
CancerCare oncology social worker Floyd Allen, LMSW, was featured as a guest columnist in this month’s issue of issue of Oncology Nursing News. In his article, “Supporting Men With Cancer: A Social Worker’s Perspective,” Allen discusses the complex emotional toll of men’s cancers, and the role of the social worker in helping patients cope.
“What am I supposed to do now?” “Am I going to live?” “How can I survive this?”
These are just some of the many fundamental and profound questions raised by men in individual counseling sessions and support groups, says Allen. Social workers cannot “fix” problems. Instead, they support men by helping them identify their strengths, mobilize their resources, and get insight into what is valuable and important in their lives.
The aim, says Allen, is to help men with cancer improve their quality of life so they can better meet the demands of their illness and the treatment process.
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Posted by Monica Cavazos Mendez
August 31, 2009
CancerCare Board Member Deborah Dunsire, M.D., president and CEO of Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, was featured in a Q&A in the New York Times’ Sunday Business section about her role as a leader and the lessons she’s learned about leadership. The company has more than 1,100 employees at its headquarters in Cambridge, Mass.
“The job of leadership is developing people, and that involves not doing everything for them, but sometimes allowing them to stub their toe. The work may not come in perfectly, but the learning [is] much more effective, and people [feel] empowered to own the outcome in a different way,” noted Dunsire, who schedules regular “walk around time” to meet informally with employees.
“The work of leadership is ensuring that we have the right people within our organization. You do that through actively knowing the people…what they value and believe, how they believe the company can improve and taking action on it,” she said.
This past May, the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association named Dr. Dunsire Woman of the Year for her business leadership and goal of improving the lives of cancer patients.
Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company is a funder of CancerCare’s Door to Door program, which provides financial grants to multiple myeloma patients to help cover transportation costs to and from their treatment (see July 20 blog post to learn more about the program).
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Financial Assistance | Permalink
Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett
August 25, 2009
“Is the doctor going to give you what might be a lesser treatment, because he thinks you are worried about money? Is it appropriate to ask the busy doctor about costs?”
Questions like these are running through many patients’ minds, says CancerCare Executive Director Diane Blum, MSW, despite many physicians’ believing that their patients are not worried about cost.
Yet, how they will be able to pay for insurance co-payments, medications and transportation to outpatient services are among the financial worries of many cancer patients, notes Blum, who is quoted in the July/August 2009 issue of Oncology Nursing News, in the article, “Costs of Care Now Part of Care Discussion.”
Blum, who chairs the Patient Resources Subcommittee of the ASCO Cost of Cancer Care Task Force, urged doctors to address the costs of treatment with their patients during a panel discussion at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual conference, held this past June in Orlando, Fla. She also covered a variety of financial assistance programs available for people undergoing cancer treatment including CancerCare’s Co-Payment Assistance Foundation and the Cancer Financial Assistance Coalition, a group of 12 organizations that provide financial support.
“We cannot pay [all of] the bills,” says Blum, “but we can…get you to the resources most appropriate to your need.”
Leave a Comment » | Financial Assistance | Tagged: copayment assistance, cost of care, financial resources | Permalink
Posted by Monica Cavazos Mendez
August 21, 2009
On Sunday, August 23, CNN.com will stream a roundtable discussion between global cancer experts, advocates and researchers from the LIVESTRONG Global Cancer Summit in Dublin. “Vital Signs: The Clinic” will provide a candid look at the latest cancer treatments and give CNN.com users around the world an opportunity to submit their own questions to the experts.
The webcast will be led by CNN’s chief medical correspondent and host of “Vital Signs,” Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and include experts from World Health Organization, Cancer Research UK, and other leading organizations.
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Posted by Monica Cavazos Mendez
August 19, 2009
Hundreds turn out in Times Square in an attempt to set new 'Tic Tac Toe Played for Charity' World Record
Hundreds of CancerCare supporters turned out today in New York City’s Times Square to try to set a new Guinness World Record for the most Tic Tac Toe games played simultaneously for charity.
The event, at the ABC Studios, was hosted by the Tic Tac® brand, to raise awareness for CancerCare’s free professional support services to anyone facing a cancer diagnosis. Tic Tac has been a generous supporter of CancerCare for the last 5 years. This year, Tic Tac’s Jim Morris was on hand to present CancerCare’s Tina Wyman with a $100,000 check to help us continue providing free counseling, education and practical support to individuals and families affected by cancer.
The game — and the giving — doesn’t stop in Times Square: Visit www.cancercare.org or www.tictacusa.com and play Tic Tac Toe online. Tic Tac® will make an additional donation of $1 for every unique user who plays the game, up to $5,000.
Many thanks to the Tic Tac® brand and everyone who joined us in Times Square today! Check back with us soon to see if we set a new record.
CancerCare's Tina Wyman (l) accepts a generous donation from Tic Tac's Jim Morris (r), with CancerCare clients, the Ambersley family (center) and CancerCare social worker Julia Little.
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Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett
August 5, 2009
When you’re facing a serious illness like cancer, finding out more information about your diagnosis can be confusing and frustrating –especially if you’re looking for it on the Internet. The web is full of medical information — the challenge is determining which sources you can rely on for accurate, current and trustworthy information, and which ones are out of date, not relevant or just plain wrong.
Cut through the confusion by going to http://www.cancer.net. The official website of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the world’s foremost organization of cancer physicians, cancer.net provides easy-to-understand, up-to-date, reliable cancer information, reviewed and approved by oncology experts.
The site provides comprehensive information about diagnoses by cancer type, treatments, survivorship issues, policy and advocacy, and much more. CancerCare Executive Director Diane Blum, MSW serves as editor-in-chief of cancer.net; watch the new video on the cancer.net homepage in which she and several of the nation’s top oncologists talk about this important resource, relied on by patients and health care providers alike.
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis, Survivorship | Tagged: ASCO, cancer information, cancer research | Permalink
Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett
August 5, 2009
A parent’s death increases the risk for depression in children, adolescents, and young adults, a recent study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh’s Western Psychiatric Institute found. Results also indicate a “window of opportunity” in connecting youth with support services, including counseling. To learn more, read Parental Death Has Major Impact on Depression Risk in Youth.
The CancerCare for Kids Program offers bereavement counseling and local workshops for children and teens who have lost a parent or other loved one to cancer.
Find out more about our bereavement services – call 1-800-813-HOPE (4673).
Leave a Comment » | CancerCare for Kids | Tagged: Bereavement, mental health, psychological impact of cancer | Permalink
Posted by jzahora
August 4, 2009
Experts agree that one of the biggest barriers to advancing cancer research is the lack of volunteers who participate in clinical trials. Clinical trials, which test the safety effectiveness of new treatments and then compare them to standard treatments, are the only way advances can be made; however, only 3 percent of adult cancer patients participate.
A recent article in the New York Times explores the reasons why clinical trial enrollment is so low and how researchers are working to change this through new methods of patient selection that would require far fewer than the usual 5,000-10,000 patients needed for each trial.
For more information on finding upcoming or ongoing clinical trials, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov and www.emergingmed.com.
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis | Tagged: cancer patients, cancer research, Clinical Trials | Permalink
Posted by Monica Cavazos Mendez
August 3, 2009
Miss Illinois 2009 Erin O’Connor (pictured above, left, with CancerCare Director of Communications Jeanie M. Barnett) came out to support the “troops” for Teb’s Troops’ third annual 5K fundraiser on July 26 at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Teb’s Troops is a non-profit dedicated to finding a cure for melanoma and supporting people affected by the disease. CancerCare is a Teb’s Troops beneficiary; its generous contribution helps us to continue providing education and counseling to people facing melanoma.
Ms. O’Connor spoke movingly to the 200+ runners about losing her own mother to melanoma, and about her dedication to raising awareness and research funds for a cure to this often aggressive form of skin cancer. She will carry her message of prevention and early testing across the state and to Las Vegas in January 2010, where she will compete for the Miss America title. Best of luck to you, Erin!
Find out more about Teb’s Troops at www.tebstroops.org.
Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis | Tagged: melanoma, Teb's Troops | Permalink
Posted by Jeanie M. Barnett
