Spotlight: Cancer Support Community

Are you looking for resources and support through your cancer experience? Maybe you need help as a caregiver or family member? We would love to introduce you to the Cancer Support Community organization. We’ll be bringing you information and programming from CSC as we are thrilled to be working with them on a number of opportunities. Find out more…

As both a patient and a caregiver, I know firsthand how important it is to have a support system that can handle all of the issues that come with a serious illness.  What I learned from my experience was 1) I could not do it alone and 2) I did not have to do it alone.  That was a powerful lesson, so let me save you the time of figuring it out yourself.  I was lucky (or unlucky) to have had my parents who were already dealing with my mom’s breast cancer battle, to ask questions, watch how they handled difficulties and learn from their experience.  My stepmother Barbara was also fighting breast cancer, and had been for many years, so I also called her to get her advice.  It’s a crappy club to be in, but when you have the right support, it makes all the difference.

I wish I had the opportunity to become a part of the Cancer Support Community family at that time. Dealing my illness and my mom’s simultaneously was all-consuming, and I could have used their guidance and support. I was lucky enough to speak with the President of Gilda’s Club in Chicago at the beginning of my journey (shout-out LauraJane!) who was tremendously helpful in guiding me in the right direction.

So let me tell you about them, and in the days to come, I will be sharing some of their programming, experts and community highlights with you. I hope to make your journey easier, less stressful, and give you all the tools you can handle to make your experience as positive as possible.  There is help out there, and CSC has many branches nationwide, so there is likely one near you.  If there isn’t, their website is quite comprehensive, they have podcasts you can listen to for free, and so much more.  So let me tell you a bit about CSC.

“Dedicated to providing support, education and hope to people affected by cancer,” CSC’s global network offers services through community-based centers, community oncology practices, hospitals and online, “so that no one has to face cancer alone.”  Gilda’s Club, created by the wonderful latecomedienne Gilda Radner, and The Wellness Community joined forces in 2009 to become the Cancer Support Community.

In my hometown of Los Angeles, there are five CSC’s, which is really great for all of the people they serve to have access to a center nearby.  We will be working specifically with the Benjamin Center CSC, located in Santa Monica, as well as highlighting different centers across the U.S., like Gilda’s Club in Chicago.  CSC has more than 50 local affiliates, 100 satellite locations and online support 24/7.  You can find the nearest CSC to you here.

In the coming days and weeks, we will share many of the helpful programs, expert opinions, activities and seminars that are available to anyone in the CSC community.  We also hope to introduce you to some of the special people that are utilizing these services, and tell you their stories, so that it may help you along your own road.  As always, we welcome comments and questions. We are in this together, so let us share our hard-earned wisdom with others and ease their path along the way.

-AK