New Article Addresses Challenges Faced by Young Adults with Cancer

June 22, 2011

CancerCare CEO Helen H. Miller, LCSW addresses the unique challenges faced by young adults with cancer in the latest issue of Oncology Nurse Advisor.

While many young adults are focused on things like education, careers, or dating and starting a family, young adults with cancer may find themselves confronting different concerns, such as where to get the best medical care or how to pay for expensive treatments.

Miller’s article provides tips on how health care professionals can help young adults cope with a cancer diagnosis, and offers valuable resources young adults can turn to for support.

Read the article.

CancerCare provides free, specialized services for young adults affected by cancer, including counseling, support groups, and educational workshops.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

CancerCare Social Workers Share Expertise on Coping with Cancer at AOSW’s Annual Conference

May 13, 2011

Several of CancerCare’s professional oncology social workers shared their clinical expertise with social workers from around the country during last weekend’s Association of Oncology Social Work (AOSW) Annual Conference in St. Louis, MO, May 4-6. 

Erin Columbus, LMSW spoke about effectively moderating support groups in an online environment.

Nicole DiMartino, MSW offered solutions for managing and coping with the emotional impact of a cancer diagnosis in adolescents.

Richard R. Dickens, LCSW-R spoke about the cancer experience in older adults, and how relaxation and mind/body techniques can help people cope with the emotional and physical challenges of cancer and treatment side effects.

Carolyn Messner, DSW presented on global health issues and how to improve the sharing of knowledge and expertise with colleagues at home and abroad.

Kristy Case, LMSW presented on the importance of post-treatment care for breast cancer survivors.

“For many people, the emotional impact and stress of a cancer diagnosis doesn’t end once they’ve finished with their treatment,” noted Case.  “It’s important for patients and their families to work with their health care team before their treatment ends to ensure that their emotional and practical needs are addressed and to create a smoother transition into post-treatment.”

CancerCare CEO Helen H. Miller, LCSW wrote about the importance of post-treatment care in a recent issue of Oncology Nurse Advisor magazine.  Read the article.

Upcoming CancerCare Connect® Education Workshops will address issues for patients and caregivers following the end of treatment, as part of its 9th Annual Series on Cancer Survivorship, featuring cancer experts from around the country in a live one-hour conference that can be listened to over the telephone or via live stream from CancerCare‘s website.

The next workshop, Stress Management for Caregivers: Taking Care of Yourself Physically and Emotionally, will take place Tuesday, June 14. Pre-registration for these free workshops is required.  To register, and to learn more, visit www.cancercare.org/connect.

CancerCare offers specialized services for post-treatment survivors and their loved ones, including support groups, counseling, and free publications. Learn more.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

TV Shows Bring Health Issues to the Forefront

April 7, 2011

More and more characters in popular TV shows are facing serious health issues as part of their storylines, according to a recent article in Variety,  the leading trade paper for the entertainment industry.

Series  like “House,” “Parenthood,” and “Army Wives” have shed light on subjects like Asperger’s syndrome and diabetes—topics not usually seen on primetime network or cable television.

Showtime drama, “The Big C,”  is another prime example. Starring celebrated actress Laura Linney, the cable network show, which debuted last fall,  explores how one woman’s world is turned upside down after being diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma.

Jenny Bicks, the series’ executive producer and herself a cancer survivor, says she is astounded by the volume of responses of viewers about the show.  “I think ["The Big C" has] had an impact on people who are not only [coping with cancer], but have loved ones going through it,” she tells Variety.

CancerCare will honor Bicks at its Annual Spring Gala on Thursday, June 9 at 6:30 pm in New York City. Learn more about how to purchase tickets or become an event sponsor.

Read the Variety article (registration required).

What do you think? Has a fictional television show or character helped you better understand a health issue, or even changed the way you approach your own or your family’s health? Share your thoughts with us here, or post on our facebook wall.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

On the Other Side of Sick: The Journey of a Cancer Survivor/Thriver

April 6, 2011

This week (April 3-9) is Young Adult Cancer Awareness Week and we’ve invited guest blogger Michelle Malavet to share her thoughts  on Copelink. Michelle, who is a writer and visual artist in New York City, came to CancerCare for support after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009.

Michelle has just published her first book, Cancerland and The Other Side of Sick, a quick and inspiring read about the journey from “diagnosis to empowerment.” Michelle has donated copies of the book for free distribution to CancerCare clients as a way of giving back for the help she received from our specialized services for young adults.

Read Michelle’s post below, and check out her book at www.othersideofsick.org. 

Want to be a guest blogger on Copelink? Please email jbarnett@cancercare.org.

**

My Little Red Dictionary

by Michelle Malavet

Living on The Other Side of Sick, my life is full of wonderment. I carry a little red dictionary most everywhere I go. I love words, especially words that rhyme, like “ignite” and “light,”  or “cancer” and “answer.”

Whenever I have a question in my life, my pocket-sized companion offers clarity and distinction. It has provided answers to many questions along my cancer survivor/thriver journey, including, “Why me? Why did I get cancer?”

My little red dictionary defines these words as:

why, adv. for what cause.

me, pron. objective case of I.

get, v., acquire; capture; achieve power over.

cancer, n. potentially unlimited growth that expands.

So whenever you ask, “Why me? Why did I get cancer?” consider that you are actually asking:

“For what cause am I? For what cause did I acquire potentially unlimited growth that expands?” 

These are very powerful questions.

Continually answering them has helped me express who I am as a cancer survivor/thriver. One can say that these questions are my journey.

Everyday, I am on a mission to inspire anyone living with cancer to fully express themselves. That is my “why.” That is my cause.

Today I woke up wondering, “What is a miracle?” What to know the definition in my little red dictionary? Please write to me, and share what you discover: mm@othersideofsick.org.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Number of Cancer Survivors Has Increased by 20%, According to Study

March 11, 2011

An article in today’s edition of The New York Times addresses a new study showing a 20% rise in the number of cancer survivors.  The study’s results show that approximately 65 percent of cancer survivors have lived at least five years since receiving their diagnosis, 40 percent have lived 10 years or more, and nearly 10 percent have lived 25 years or longer.

Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control, noted that these results contradict notions of cancer as an immediate, terminal disease. “For many people with cancer there’s a need for them and their families to realize that this is a stage,” he says. “They can live a long and healthy life.”

One aspect of cancer survivorship that the article does not address, however, is the emotional and financial impact a diagnosis has on survivors. CancerCare has responded to the need for this support by providing free counseling, support groups, and financial help for anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis.

Read the article.

CancerCare’s booklet, “After Treatment Ends: Tools for the Adult Cancer Survivor” provides tips on living with and beyond cancer.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Did CancerCare Help you? Post Your Thoughts on CharityNavigator.org

March 8, 2011

Charity Navigator, America’s largest independent charity evaluator, recently teamed with GreatNonProfits to launch the “Reviews” tab on their website, which allows anyone to post reviews of their experience with a nonprofit organization.

Here are some examples of what people are writing about CancerCare’s free professional services:

My counselor Kathy helped me to learn what I thought was impossible, how to live again.

To say that I am grateful for all that CancerCare has done for me does not begin to convey my feelings. It is a place of warmth, with a caring, dedicated staff that put their hearts into everything they do. The work that they do so well makes a difference in so many lives.

Cancer can destroy your spirit but a place like CancerCare gives you the hope and faith you need to survive.

Please visit our page on CharityNavigator’s website to post a review of your own.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Returning to Work after Cancer: Helpful Tips

February 18, 2011

A recent article in Coping with Cancer magazine by CancerCare’s Director of Education and Training, Carolyn Messner, DSW, explores ways people affected by cancer can cope with returning to work after treatment.

Studies show that returning to work may contribute to cancer survivors’ emotional, social, and financial well-being, as it serves as a reminder of life outside of cancer and treatment. Planning your return will help you feel more prepared about your transition back to the workplace.

A few of the tips provided in Messner’s article (co-authored by Jessica Puma) include:

  • Talk to your healthcare team about returning to work, discussing the specific type of work you do, your workload, and your work hours.
  •  Learn about the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, state laws, and human rights law.
  •  Rehearse what you plan to say to colleagues when asked how you are feeling. Brief, accurate information is likely to make them more comfortable and help dispel myths about cancer.

Read the full article for more tips.

Messner answered questions related to cancer in the workplace in a past “Ask CancerCare” feature. Visit “Ask CancerCare” to learn more about this topic.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Actress, Cancer Advocate S. Epatha Merkerson to Host CancerCare’s “Partnerships in Hope” Awards

January 14, 2011

Health care luminaries dedicated to supporting people affected by cancer will be honored at CancerCare’s annual “Partnerships in Hope” awards dinner, to be held on Thursday, February 24 at Gotham Hall in New York City.

Celebrated actress and longtime CancerCare advocate S. Epatha Merkerson will host this year’s dinner. Merkerson is best known for her role as NYPD Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the long-running NBC drama series, “Law & Order.” Merkerson’s character faced a cancer diagnosis in the drama’s final season, which aired last year.

The series, which focused almost exclusively on solving the case at hand, offered occasional glimpses of its characters’ personal challenges, like this scene in which Lt. Van Buren is at her desk reviewing her employer-provided health plan: 

In a recent interview with the Associated Press, Merkerson talks about her love of the show:

Merkerson was lauded for her starring role in the 2005 television movie, “Lackawanna Blues,” for which she won a Best Actress Golden Globe, and Emmy and Image Awards. A critically acclaimed stage and film actress, she is also a two-time Tony Award nominee, most recently for her lead role in the 2008 Broadway revival, “Come Back Little Sheba.”

Merkerson will be sharing the stage at CancerCare’s “Partnerships in Hope” dinner, now in its 28th year, with CancerCare client William Reader, of New York City, who will share his personal story of caregiving for his life partner, Lester, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and passed away in 2009 from the disease. 

The evening will also honor The Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, which generously supports CancerCare’s financial assistance program for pancreatic cancer patients and their families. Eli Lilly and Company and Morphotek, Inc.  will also be honored for their support of CancerCare‘s free educational workshops and publications.

Learn more about the “Partnerships in Hope” Awards dinner.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric Honored for Coverage of Lung Cancer

November 30, 2010

Celebrated broadcast journalist and CBS Evening News Anchor Katie Couric is the recipient of the 2010 Global Lung Cancer Coalition Journalism Award, for raising awareness of lung cancer and its incidence especially among women. Couric devoted the “Notebook” segment of her nightly newscast on June 29 to lung cancer and called for more research dollars for better treatments and earlier detection. Watch the segment.

Couric has devoted a substantial amount of editorial coverage to cancer advocacy since losing her husband, attorney and news commentator Jay Monahan, to cancer in 1998.

Studies indicate that women are more susceptible to developing lung cancer than men are. About 250 women are diagnosed with lung cancer every day; 50 of them will have never smoked. The mortality rate of people diagnosed with lung cancer is higher than most other cancers, and more men and women die of lung cancer than breast and prostate cancer combined. Yet, lung cancer is the least-funded of all major cancers.

Visit The Global Lung Cancer Coalition’s website to learn more about early detection, treatment and supportive care.

CancerCare offers free, professional support services for anyone affected by a lung cancer diagnosis. Learn more about our National Lung Cancer Program at www.lungcancer.org.

[pictured above: CancerCare's Win Boerckel, Katie Couric, Prevent Cancer Foundation's Carolyn Aldige at the CBS News studio in New York City on Nov. 30, 2010]

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Breast Cancer Survivors Share Their Stories in New Online Video

November 12, 2010

The All4One Alliance, a partnership of four nonprofits including CancerCare, has launched a new video of breast cancer survivors sharing their stories. The alliance’s partner organizations and supporters provide underserved women recovering from breast cancer with access to free breast prostheses and bras, along with professional support and information.

Watch the video.

Support the All4One Alliance by purchasing the 2011 Show Us Your BRA!tm Calendar featuring original “bra-art” designed by celebrities like India.Arie and Emme. All proceeds from sales of the calendar support women recovering from breast cancer.

Visit www.all4onealliance.org to learn more and to purchase a calendar.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

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