Community News
NOTES FROM THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR
-Ellen Heyman, MSN, RN, CS
Surviving and Thriving Through The Cancer Journey
As we celebrate our first decade of service, The Gathering Place is becoming more aware of and focusing more attention on the issues facing cancer survivors. We're learning that their needs don't end at the completion of treatment. In fact, many people feel more alone when treatment ends. One of our participants stated, " I felt almost abandoned...like I lost all my friends. I wouldn't be regularly seeing the doctors and nurses who had become such a part of my life."
Amy Chmielewski, a twenty-three year old and survivor of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, wrote in the recently published Chicken Soul for the Soul:The Cancer Book.
"Even though my treatment is complete, my journey with cancer is not. I am still learning how to balance being a young woman who is finding her way in the world and is also a cancer survivor. This balance is something that I will always be searching for, as cancer did change my life for the better. I am hopeful that I will find my balance one day."
The Gathering Place has developed a Survivorship Assessment Tool (SAT) which identifies 30 issues and concerns someone might be facing after a cancer diagnosis, including, to name a few: nutrition, sleep, sexuality and intimacy, ability to cope, work or school, understanding medical bills, and fears about the cancer returning. We now invite every new participant with cancer to complete the SAT to let us know the concerns they would like help with. Our staff will review the tool and make referrals to our programs and services, resources in the community or back to the individual's healthcare team. The assessment tool will help us develop a customized plan to meet the needs of each participant.
Some survivors take exception to the word 'survivor' and think of themselves as 'thriving', not just surviving. At The Gathering Place, we want to help you thrive and experience the highest quality of life, no matter where you are in the cancer journey.
From the desk of Eileen Saffran Executive Director
As I sit at my desk with soft relaxing music piped overhead, a constant flow of gentle water running through the fountain on my desk and warm breezes blowing outside my window, I wonder if this is still a dream or if it is actually the real thing! We’ve all chanted the battle cry: “It takes a community to build a community”…we’ve done it! On January 3, many of you reading this newsletter helped The Gathering Place become a reality in the Greater Cleveland area. Each and every day, the vision and dream of our staff, board and volunteers continues to be more and more fulfilled as people from various geographic locations, financial positions, color, religions and cancer types come in to take advantage of the healing and supportive community we’ve created. And what a support community it is…staff, volunteers and participants intermingle around the kitchen table or the conference table in the Resource Center to share stories and reach out to help one another with sincerity and compassion. I invite you all to stop in for a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee (which has all been donated) or a hot (or iced) cup of green tea for relaxation and/or socialization. I think I’ll close my eyes and visualize a sandy beach with the hot sun beating down on the glistening water…… January 2000
In pondering what I might say in celebration of our 10th year of service, I ran across my “Executive Director’s Report” published in our first newsletter in January 2000. There is an addition I would now need to make… Caribou Coffee donates coffee to us as well.
As we move into the next decade, there are some distinct differences in the life of The Gathering Place. We have established greater accessibility for those touched by cancer living on either side of the Cuyahoga River. Our Beachwood and Westlake facilities doors are open to serve all who have the courage to walk through them. Additionally, recognizing that a cancer diagnosis affects many dimensions of one’s life, we are broadening our programming as we help guide people through the challenges of cancer survivorship. Our expanded focus on nutrition and exercise is an example of this. We look forward to working in close collaboration with the healthcare community to meet the comprehensive needs of individuals with cancer and their family in an integrated fashion.
The following quote sent to me 10 years ago from our Director of Volunteers and Clinical Staff Member, Betsy Kohn, continues to guide my work and I would venture to say the work of many of our staff and volunteers:
“Life is a journey that no one makes alone. The more people you touch along the way, the more meaningful and rewarding our time will be.”
In closing, the only other change I would make to my words echoed 10 years ago would be that I would now visualize going to the mountains instead of the beach!
