Blog

We are facing extremely challenging times in our country due to the many layers of crisis and strife affecting our families, our communities and our nation. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, as well as COVID-19 disproportionately affecting racial and ethnic minorities, lay bare the racial inequities in our society and magnify very real systemic and institutional injustices. The Cancer Support Community (CSC) will continue to advocate for health care policies that break down inequities and enable all individuals to have access to affordable medical care and support.

Each month, the Cancer Policy Institute profiles advocates who have been engaged in cancer advocacy. Read on to learn more about Rachel, a graduate student at the University of Maryland getting a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Policy. If you are interested in learning more about policy, advocacy, and ways to get involved, sign up to be a part of the Grassroots Network!

We are once again honored to interview Dr. Alice B. Kornblith, PhD about her plans for a new book and why caregivers’ stories need to be heard.

Cancer Support Community (CSC) earned 10 Digital Health Awards last Friday at the spring 2020 event organized by the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC)-- two of the awards were first-time wins for us.

Everywhere you turn people are grappling with fears both real and imagined. There are no easy answers but amid such fraught times we have to find ways to continually challenge our fears. Nancy suggests three simple things to try.

At the Cancer Support Community, we recognize that we are facing extremely challenging times in our country due to the many layers of crisis and strife affecting our families, our communities and our nation. Both COVID-19 and the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor lay bare the racial inequities in our society and magnify very real systemic and institutional injustices.

Thanks to the generous support of individuals and corporate partners, the Cancer Support Community (CSC) has taken swift action to adapt and increase the availability of its free patient-focused support and navigation services during this unprecedented global public health challenge.

With all the disruption and upheaval in our lives, it’s been a real struggle to feel joyful about welcoming the happy moments this month typically brings. Everyone Nancy knows seems to be riding this rollercoaster: fearful and anxious one day, grateful and calm the next. This is to be expected in the throes of such global uncertainty. Nancy was in a real funk at the start of the month, and a bit conflicted at having to be the face of resilience when she felt anything but resilient. But then two things happened that shifted her perspective.

Nancy shares a strategy passed on to her from a friend in recovery, of how to pause to take care of ourselves—body, spirit and mind. When we tend to our needs, we have so much more to give to others.

This special series introduces you to our Helpline counselors and specialists, our frontline workers who are tirelessly assisting cancer patients and caregivers. They provide emotional support and navigation on finances, nutrition, referrals as well as challenges presented by COVID-19, including relief grants for financially distressed patients. In this entry meet Cancer Support Helpline Counselor Terri Bauer, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C.