Copelink Blog

Communicating with a child whose parent has been diagnosed with a chronic illness can be both confusing and overwhelming. As CancerCare’s Healing Hearts Program Coordinator, Claire Grainger, MSW, LCSW works closely with families to help navigate these challenges. Based on her professional experience and expertise, Claire has written the recently published book, “My Daddy Sits Upon a Star.”

As more patient care is happening within the home, caregivers are becoming increasingly responsible for providing ongoing emotional and practical support. However, fewer than 15 percent of caregivers seek professional help in addressing their own physical, emotional and financial needs. In celebration of National Family Caregivers Month, CancerCare encourages caregivers to seek out support.

Palliative care is specialized medical treatment that focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness. Traditionally, palliative care has been accessed only toward the end of life. Many recent studies however, have shown that introducing it earlier into cancer patients’ care plans results in improved quality of life, living longer and lower medical costs.

CancerCare recently announced a new national grant, generously provided by Celgene, available for people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The latest edition of The ASCO Post features a conversation with CancerCare’s CEO Patricia J. Goldsmith. In the article, Goldsmith shares her personal story and her exciting vision for the organization.

For the third year, Caribou Coffee has partnered with CancerCare for a month-long promotion during which 10 percent of all Amy’s Blend Collection purchases benefit CancerCare’s free support services. The Amy’s Blend promotion honors Caribou Coffee’s original roastmaster Amy Erickson who lost her battle with cancer in 1995.

CancerCare has received a $1.5 million grant to assist people diagnosed with breast cancer. The generous grant will support Linking A.R.M.S., a CancerCare program in partnership with Susan G. Komen.

Sue began advocating for emotional support after her husband, Rob, advanced to stage 4 melanoma in 2009. He’d been at stage 3 for almost three years, long enough for his doctor to be optimistic and for the family to feel more confident about the future. The news, received in the emergency room where he’d been taken in response to a seizure, came as a huge blow.

John and Josephine Facilla have decorated their Long Island home for the past 35 holiday seasons. The display started off small and has grown to include more than 10,000 lights and an elaborate Santa’s Workshop.

Most teens and young adults face the everyday challenges of school, jobs and relationships. But if you are a teen or young adult who is also caring for a loved one with cancer, you know firsthand how a cancer diagnosis can bring on a whole new set of concerns.