Cancer.org

Cancer.org - who know such a simple URL could lead to so much information!

Cancer.org is not just any website, it is the official website of the American Cancer Society.  It contains information about:

Getting involved
Information about all types of cancer
Helping you quit smoking
2011 Cancer Facts & Figures

Finding support and treatmentInformation about new research

and so much more!

This website is a priceless resource for cancer patients and their caregivers, volunteers, and people who just want to know more.  You can literally spend hours on this website learning about different treatment options available, finding a local Relay For Life event in your area, or getting help to quit smoking.  It is an easy to navigate website that is incredibly informative and up to date.  There are even places to get the exact same information in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Even if you don't have cancer or aren't a caregiver for someone who does, there is excellent information about staying healthy to help prevent against cancer.

Everyone should take a few minutes and navigate the website for a little while to see what information is out there, you never know you might run across something that could change your life.

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Until We Find a Cure

Reach to Recovery

(I apologize for this post being late, so as a comprise I'll do posts this week!)

When women (or men) are diagnosed with breast cancer there are immediately faced with many questions: "Will I lose my hair?" "Will I have to have a mastectomy?" "How am I going to get through this?" "Where do I got for help and guidance?" or "Who can I talk to?"
Luckily there is a patient services program designed specifically for women and men who are diagnosed with breast cancer and it is called Reach to Recovery.  And in case you didn't know, yes men can be diagnosed with breast cancer.

Reach to Recovery has been provided by the American Cancer Society for over 40 years. The program is designed to help both men and women who are facing a range of breast cancer experiences from just diagnosed to entering remission.  What Reach to Recovery does, is it pairs a current breast cancer patient with a Reach volunteer, who meet a set of criteria, to discuss any questions or concerns the patient has and to help guide them through the journey of cancer treatment.  The Reach volunteers are not every day volunteers, they are breast cancer survivors who have been in remission for at least 1 year and are thoroughly trained to work with the patients. The volunteers come from varying backgrounds of breast cancer experience as well, some have had mastectomies, double mastectomies, had lymphedema, or breast reconstruction.  By carefully pairing patients and volunteers, the patients can receive the best information and support about exactly what they are going through.

For some breast cancer patients, their Reach to Recovery volunteer is the only person in their life who understands exactly what they are going through and can talk to them on a level that they understand.  All of the volunteers are trained on what medical terms mean and how to explain them in more basic terms so the patient doesn't feel overwhelmed or confused.  But aside from all of that the Reach volunteers are there simply as way for the patient to see that there is hope of survival because the Reach volunteer has been there before, they have survived.

I think this program is remarkable and I wish my Grandmother had had the opportunity to speak with a Reach to Recovery volunteer during her battle with breast cancer.  I believe all women and men who are diagnosed with breast cancer, regardless of the stage, need to seek out the Reach to Recovery program because it will give them the hope, support and understanding they need to get through their diagnosis, treatment and recovery.


And as always more information about patient services program, cancer facts & statistics, or cancer information can be found at cancer.org or by calling 1-800-227-2345 at any hour of the day or night. 
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Until We Find a Cure

Hope Lodge

Did you figure out what this week's post would be??

I had the honor last Friday to visit the Baltimore Hope Lodge at the Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Campus of Hope on the University of Maryland-Baltimore campus. It's a wonderful and beautiful building designed to help cancer patients and their caregivers relax in a "home away from home".

Baltimore Hope Lodge. Image from http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/SupportProgramsServices/HopeLodge/Baltimore/index

There are 31 Hope Lodges across the United States creating a home environment for cancer patients and their caregivers when away from their home receiving treatment.  All Hope Lodges offer free temporary place to stay for as long as they need in order to receive the best possible treatment.  The idea is simple: families always search for the best treatment but sometimes that means traveling hundreds if not thousands of miles away which can become incredibly expensive but free lodging makes a world of a difference! 

The Baltimore Hope Lodge is situated near the University of Maryland Medical School and John's Hopkins Medical Center.  When you walk into the Hope Lodge you immediately feel a sense of warmth and care.  They have a large great room for families to eat and watch television, and a kitchen that allows them to make their own food or for volunteers to make dinners for all.  Each patient and/or caregiver has their own private bedroom with full bathroom so they can have comfort away from the hospital/treatment center.  To help them relax and keep their focus away from treatment, there is a courtyard, a rec room, and a library.  The staff is incredibly nice and they want to make life as normal as possible for their guests.
 
All Hope Lodges are always looking for donations of food, books for the library, ink cartridges and even Christmas presents.  If you are interested in donating to a Hope Lodge near you click here.



In order to create more free nights for patients and caregivers the American Cancer Society must continue to raise more money through events such as Relay For Life.  To donate visit www.relayforlife.org and find a local event to donate to.

The Hope Lodge is by far one of my favorite patient services programs that the American Cancer Society offers and I hope to see more Hope Lodges built across the USA, especially in Virginia.
As always to find out more information about the American Cancer Society and other patient services programs visit cancer.org.
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Until We Find a Cure

Road to Recovery

Road to Recovery - helping patients get to and from treatment.

Sometimes getting to and from treatment can be incredibly straining on the patient if they are driving themselves, so why not let someone else drive you.  The Road to Recovery program offers patients free transportation to and/or from treatment whenever and wherever that might be.  The drivers are volunteers who offer their time and resources to ensure that these patients have a worry and stress free journey to/from treatment.  The drivers sometimes only drive one way and sometimes they stay through the treatment to make sure the patients can get leave as soon as they want to.

For cancer patients who don't have caregivers who can drive them to treatment, Road to Recovery offers them the piece of mind of not having to drive when that is probably the last thing they want to do. And depending on their home support system, the Road driver might be the first person who will let them talk about whatever they want to or not talk at all.
Almost all communities have a Road to Recovery coordinator who helps make sure that any cancer patient in their community that wants someone to drive them to treatment can receive the help.

If you know someone who would benefit from the Road to Recovery can call 1-800-227-2345 to find a local coordinator.  If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering as a Road to Recovery driver can contact their local American Cancer Society office - if you live near Roanoke VA and want to help out leave me a comment, I'm always looking for more Road drivers to help out with my communities.

More information: Road to Recovery

Road to Recovery is helping thousands of cancer patients get the treatment they need to beat cancer and win the fight!
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Until We Find a Cure

Patient Services Programs

One of the great aspects about my job is learning about and being involved in all of our patient services programs.  These programs are designed to help cancer patients from all walks of life feel better before, during and after treatment.  Because I think these programs are absolutely incredible and everyone should know about them, regardless if your or a loved one has cancer, I am going to highlight a different one each week.  I'm incredibly excited for week two's post already but I'm not going to share what it is, but here's a hint....it may be far from Roanoke but it makes you feel right at home.  So make sure you check back each week to learn more about each of the patient services programs that the American Cancer Society offers!


And if you can't wait for my next post you can read about all of these programs and more at cancer.org or call our toll-free number at 1-800-227-2345.

The American Cancer Society is helping you get well, helping you stay well, by finding cures and fighting back.
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Until We Find a Cure