Cancer Survivorship Part 1

By Amber Downing

downing_am@yahoo.com

The Tuesday, July 15th meeting was led by Judy Jeanes on the topic of cancer survivorship. She is planning two to three additional meetings on cancer survivorship over the next couple of months.

Jeanes says after completing treatment, many cancer survivors feel “It is the best of times. It is the worst of times”. They may feel like celebrating, but also might not know what to do next. She suggests keeping an eye on the future with goals. Also, Jeanes recommends each survivor fill out A Prescription for Living and keeping it on hand for new doctors. The form asks questions like what specific kind of chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment the patient received and how much.

When asked her definition of a survivor, Mary Martinez said, “keeping it together and moving on with your life”.

“I feel like we become survivors the minute we find out we have cancer,” Jeanes said.

Jeanes discussed physical and psychological concerns a survivor may encounter after finishing treatment. She recommends journaling or writing about fears in order to properly address them rather than repress them.

The big pound losers for this week were: Sue Duffy, Claudette Hagle, Betty LaMarche, Sharon Mathis, Dean Sims, Pat Tolman and Vicki Williams.

Jeanes offered several handouts at the meeting. Here is one, but more are forthcoming. Also, links made available by Jeanes have been added to the links column.