The day began as volunteers shared their stories, discussing challenges like recurring or metastasizing cancers, working and caring for children through treatment or facing life with lymphedema. They talked about treatments – including acupuncture, immunotherapy, bone marrow transplants, robotic surgeries and participating in clinical trials.

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Then, came the pet discussions – including tales of foster cats, a giant German shepherd and a grumpy cat named George.

“Each Support Volunteer we train is unique – some are funny or quirky or have wildly interesting hobbies. Nearly all have faced a wide range of challenges in life – some cancer related, some not,” said Cynthia Gutierrez-Bernstein, CHN’s Director of Programs. “While many matches begin with a shared diagnosis or similar treatments, we also help cancer patients and caregivers connect based on personality or lifestyle circumstances.”

The survivor volunteers share practical advice and lessons they’ve learned since their own diagnoses. “My surgeon didn’t have time to answer all of my questions, so I asked if there was a resident or medical student I could talk to,” recalled Mary Ellen.

Linda, a breast cancer survivor who has been a Member Connections volunteer since 2015, encourages patients to visit hospitals and treatment centers they’re considering. “See how you feel when you walk in,” she advises. “You have to be comfortable where you are. You wouldn’t buy a house or an apartment without a visit.”

“Cancer Support Community is pleased to partner with CHN,” said Jen Sinclair Program Director for CSCGLV.  “Our collaboration helps people move through their cancer experience with information, encouragement and confidence.”

“CSC is doing amazing work to help patients, survivors and caregivers in the Greater Lehigh Valley,” Gutierrez-Bernstein continued. “Together, we will ensure that no one faces cancer alone.”
We are pleased to welcome the following volunteers to the CHN/CSC-GLV family:

• Amanda – Breast (with recurrence to bone and organs), stage 4
• Barbara – Uterine/Bladder
• Cecelia – Uterine, stage 1B
• Dianne – Melanoma, stage 3C
• Hally – Breast, stage 2
• Katy – Acute Myeloid Leukemia (recur, FLT3+, t(6:9) mutations)
• Mary Ellen – Multiple cancers (basal, melanoma, breast cancer recurrence, thyroid), all stage 1
• Rebecca – Breast, stage 0/1
• Susanne – Breast, stage 4, Chloroma (leukemia)

ABOUT Cancer Support Community -Greater Lehigh Valley
The Cancer Support Community’s programs help people affected by cancer – survivors, caregivers, friends and family – regain control of their lives, reduce stress and isolation, and restore a sense of hope for a better quality of life regardless of the stage of the disease or the type of cancer.

About Cancer Hope Network
Cancer Hope Network provides free one-on-one emotional support to adult cancer patients and their caregivers. Each of our 400+ volunteers is at least one year post-treatment or successfully undergoing maintenance therapies. CHN Support Volunteers have faced more than 80 cancer types and speak 15 languages. They offer encouragement from diagnosis, through treatment and into survivorship.

The post Cancer Hope Network partners with Cancer Support Community GLV to train new class of volunteers. appeared first on Cancer Hope Network.

After 32 years as secretary at the local high school, the bustle is familiar to her – as are the faces of “her kids” coming through the doors of the hospital. Of course, many of “her kids” are now parents with their own families. Seeing Ann brings a sense of calm and joy as they head in and out of the hospital. But that calm isn’t limited to people she knows. Ann radiates tranquility to everyone she meets. “Yesterday, I was wheeling a patient to oncology and she mentioned that she has stage 4 cancer. I told her that I was a survivor as well and she perked up, ‘Seeing what you’re doing, here helping me, gives me hope. ‘”

Deciding to help

For Ann, the decision to help is necessary. “Helping people makes you forget about yourself.  It brings a peace to you about where you are in your life.”

As a Support Volunteer, Ann serves in multiple roles – as a survivor of bladder cancer and as a caregiver. Her expertise in both roles is hard won. Clarence, her beloved husband of 45 years suffered a stroke. One week later, Ann was diagnosed with her first bout of cancer. Clarence recovered. She battled through. She had recurrence followed by recurrence (six in total) followed by major surgery to remove her bladder and create a new one from a part of her small intestine. Five years after his stroke and Ann’s initial cancer diagnosis, Clarence was also diagnosed with bladder cancer.

For many people this series of events would be a perfect excuse to curl up in a ball and shut out the world. It’d be more than enough reason to become bitter, angry and­ despondent.

For Ann, it’s been an opportunity to rely on her personal faith and to deepen her commitment to helping others. A practical Southern Lady in the truest sense of the word, she focuses on the happy memories, the best of the times. Talk to Ann for more than a few moments and you get the feeling that she’s the kind of person who could find the “silver lining” in any situation. “I meet some families who are going through so much you wonder how they do it. I never found anything was too difficult for me (as she cared for him in his final years.) since I had the Lord with me.”

Focusing on what matters most

Ann focuses on what’s important – in the years between her initial diagnosis and Clarence’s death, they traveled, an activity they’ve enjoyed for decades. “He got to go to Alabama to see the grandchildren for six years,” she recalls. “We took a lot of Sunshine Bus tours, from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island to Branson, Missouri. He was on the quiet side and I’m a people person. We really liked taking trips together.”

She offers suggestions – and hope – for fellow patients and caregivers still in their cancer struggle. “They’re coming out with new treatments, new research and new drugs all the time. Don’t lose faith in the possibility of hope. Once you give up, there’s nothing a doctor can do. Of course it’s ok to get your affairs in order, but try to remember that the Lord is in charge.”

Managing life as a caregiver

She encourages them to concentrate on what they can control, not all of the possibilities the might happen. “I tell other caregivers not to get caught up in thinking too far ahead,” Ann says. “Focus on what’s right in front of you. Take one day at a time. I learned that lesson from my mother, as she took care of my father. Just get through this day.”

“It’s ok to let it all out, to cry your eyes out. I’ve learned over the years that it’s not healthy to keep everything bottled up. “

She reminds caregivers to ask for help when they need it. “You can’t do it by yourself. You’re a person, you’re a human and you cannot do this by yourself. There were days I’d call my daughter to come stay with her father while I stepped away for a few hours. I spoke to my best friend all the time.” It’s an important reminder, seconded by medical professionals. “My oncologist said I had to listen to my body. It doesn’t matter if it’s a balmy 80 degrees out and you just know that you should be outside planting flowers. If you’re tired, lay down and take a nap.”

Request a match with a cancer caregiver or cancer survivor who’s been there by clicking HERE or calling 877-HOPENET (877-467-3638) today.

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