Lymphomanics Receive Grant to Award Trips
The Lymphomaniac Society is a proud recipient of a mini-grant from the Blue and You Foundation of Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield. We’re in the process of organizing FIVE respite trips, and this grant will allow us to fund one of these trips. It’s rewarding and fulfilling to know that granting foundations see the value of the work we’re trying to do to help cancer survivors recuperate from the rigors of treatment.
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T-Shirt Giveaway at Hillcrest Shop and Sip
The Lymphomaniac Society t-shirts have arrived! These awesome baseball-style t-shirts are perfect for a cool day and you can get yours for $25. You can place your order by sending an email to griffin@lymphomaniac.org or you can buy yours at Hillcrest Shop and Sip next month.
You can also register to win a FREE t-shirt at Hillcrest Shop and Sip on Thursday, April 7 after work in front of the offices of Dr. John Pitts, DDS at 619 Beechwood Street in Little Rock. Our Hillcrest Shop and Sip location will include lots of fun!
So mark your calendar for April 7 and stop by to join us!
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Lymphomaniacs to Participate in Arkansas Gives
Mark your calendars for an exciting giving event on Thursday, April 7. The Lymphomaniac Society is excited to participate in the 2016 Arkansas Gives event. ArkansasGives.org is a 12-hour giving event sponsored by the Arkansas Community Foundation. The online event is Thursday, April 7. During this day of giving, Arkansans make donations on a single day in recognition of the vital work of local charitable organizations. As a special incentive to give, each gift made through ArkansasGives on April 7 will be matched with additional bonus dollars; the more you give, the more bonus dollars the Lymphomaniac Society will receive.
We’re in the process of planning five trips with two applicants waiting for trips so ArkansasGives is a great opportunity for us to raise some funds to provide meaningful and memorable trips.
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Five Questions with . . .
Harriet Farley, LCSW, UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
1. What role do respite trips play in the treatment and healing of cancer patients?
Oftentimes we have a tendency to put fun and relaxation on the back burner—yet fun and relaxation can do as much or more than anything to treat our ills and help us heal! Our society does not always acknowledge the value—or the necessity—of taking a break and taking care of ourselves with the gift of time off and doing something enjoyable or restful. Life can become tedious, and being hooked up to a bottle of chemo can certainly drag a person down. So anything people can do to shake things up a bit is good. For some people an energized, busy time with tourist activities scheduled is reinvigorating. For others, a few days of quiet time with a loved one, away from daily responsibilities, is just the answer. Either one is a shift away from everyday life that can give people ways to renew mind, body, and soul—and replenish them as they move forward—either into continued treatment or into the next phase of their lives.
2. What is the Rockefeller Cancer Institute?
The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is Arkansas’ only academic cancer center. In addition to training new physicians in the most advanced medical techniques, we offer clinical trials and other innovative treatments unavailable elsewhere in the state. Our doctors, nurses, scientists and other health care professionals work as teams to treat all of the needs a patient may have, from physical symptoms to emotional concerns.
3. What role do social workers play in the fight against cancer?
Social workers actually play several roles on the team that supports people with cancer and their families! We are here to act as advocates—to speak on behalf of folks and to help see that their needs are met. We are problem-solvers, as well as coordinators and facilitators—of team and family communication; of needed information and education; and of financial resources and other needs such as housing, transportation, food, and medications. We are also here to walk with patients and families through the emotional landscape of cancer—and the nature of that will vary, according to individual needs and desires, and according to the places in which they find themselves. That landscape generally has both peaks and valleys—periods of emotional extremes that call for counseling. So part of what we do is help people get through those times, integrate those times and the accompanying feelings into the rest of their lives, and end up with a sense of balance and comfort—no matter what path the cancer takes.
4. What can patients do to stay mentally and emotionally healthy?
That will vary from person to person. People can always start with asking themselves what has helped them be mentally and emotionally healthy up to this point in their lives? People often cite things such as physical activities, nature, quiet and solitude, volunteer work, pets, their faith, time with friends or family. Oftentimes we don’t allow ourselves enough space in our busy lives for the things that nurture us. So paying attention to what nurtures us and levels us—and allowing time for those things—can help people get through the tough days. And sometimes by doing so, people also discover new ways of creating and maintaining emotional and mental health! Sharing their emotional load, which is sometimes difficult for us to do, can lighten that load—and it can also help to create or strengthen bonds with others.
5. How does cancer impact families and caregivers who support cancer patients?
Again, the impacts of cancer on people—both the people with cancer and those who support them—can be all over the map. One thing that almost always happens is an upset in equilibrium—both in the individuals involved and in the systems as a whole, whether that be the family, work relationships, groups of friends, or the community as a whole. So people get knocked down and have to figure out how they can best get themselves back up and going—again, the balance thing. Many people experience role reversals or other shifts in relationships. It is not at all unusual for people to experience anxiety, depression or sadness, anger, uncertainty, frustration, fear, loneliness, vulnerability—along with things such as strength, competence, optimism, confidence, hope—and all on the same day! What we usually encourage people to do is acknowledge those feelings, give them the respect they are due, and then figure out ways to grow the helpful ones and diminish the ones that are not helpful. Other significant impacts on people are in the more practical realm—additional financial challenges while income has decreased, juggling cancer treatment with maintaining a home and job, childcare and other responsibilities that don’t stop with a cancer diagnosis. And all of these things impact how people communicate and relate with each other. And again, the impacts will vary from person to person—and from day to day. More reminders of the fluid, ever-changing process that this cancer experience is!
For more information on the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, go to cancer.uams.edu.
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Apply for Trips with Short Online Application
Are you a cancer patient going through treatment who needs a break? Or did you complete cancer treatment within the past 12 months? Or do you know a cancer survivor who just needs to take a break from treatments and the stress of fighting a tough battle? Then you should apply for a trip from the Lymphomaniac Society (or nominate a cancer survivor) today!
You can apply by going to www.lymphomaniac.org/apply and filling out a short and easy web form. You will provide some basic information and select which trips you are interested in applying for. The Lymphomaniac Society will respond once your application has been submitted.
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Lymphomaniacs Available for Speaking Opportunities
Are you a member of a civic group, church or club? You can invite the Lymphomaniac Society to speak at your upcoming event. Our founders, Elizabeth Fortune and Griffin Coop, would love to share the story of their battle with cancer and how they started the Lymphomaniac Society to provide respite trips to cancer survivors. They are excited to speak to groups both large and small and look forward to letting more people know about their work. To contact them, send an email to Elizabeth at elizabeth@lymphomaniac.org.
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Cancer Fact of the Month
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death among American women. The leading causes of cancer deaths among women are 1) Lung Cancer, 2) Breast Cancer and 3) Colorectal Cancer. Regular screenings are important and can reduce the risk of these cancers. Women ages 50-74 should get a mammogram every two years and women over 50 should get a colorectal screening. For more information on cancer and screening, go to www.cdc.gov/cancer.
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Quote of the Month
"Courage is being afraid but going on anyway."
-- Dan Rather
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