It’s hard to believe that 2021 is nearly over! Throughout the year, CancerCare has continued to support the growing and changing needs of those impacted by a cancer diagnosis. We are excited to share a selection highlights and achievements.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Winfield Boerckel, MSW, MBA, LCSW-R, heads CancerCare’s Long Island office and leads our national lung cancer program. After 25 prolific years at CancerCare, Win will be retiring this December. We are honored to share a retrospective of his time in oncology social work and how lung cancer has changed since 1996.

As summer draws to a close, many families and kids start looking ahead to back-to-school season—and our CancerCarefor Kids team does too! 2021 marks the sixth year of our Back-to-School Program, which provides brand-new backpacks full of school supplies to children and teens in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

In the second installment of our focus on Cancer Out Loud: The CancerCare Podcast, Sarah and A.J. reflect on memorable episodes and what’s next for the show.

Today marks the season four debut of Cancer Out Loud: The CancerCare Podcast! We are exciting to continue amplifying the stories and experiences of people living with cancer, caregivers and the bereaved.

With almost 90 years of combined cancer advocacy experience, CancerCare and Triage Cancer are proud to launch Magnolia Purpose in Planning^®, in partnership with Eisai Inc., to connect people affected by cancer to practical financial and legal resources.

In June 2020, CancerCare launched its newest service: a free telephone case management program to help clients overcome barriers to care. This program was designed in direct response to the needs of people living with cancer. During such an overwhelming time, it’s easy to get “stuck” at certain points during the cancer experience, not knowing who to turn to for guidance. It has been especially useful for those managing with a cancer diagnosis while also coping with additional stress, safety concerns and other factors related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Earlier this month, 11 families met virtually for an all-remote version of our annual Healing Hearts Family Bereavement Camp. The camp, which is open to families with children and teens who have recently lost a loved one to cancer, is usually held at a rural setting in the Pocono Mountains where visitors can ride horses, roast s’mores and enjoy a change of scenery. Though our families were unable to be physically together this year, our dedicated staff and volunteers planned seven hours of programming over the course of the weekend for parents and children to connect, remember their loved ones and find support.

CancerCare was thrilled to host the 2021 National Gala virtually on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. The event was the first fully virtual gala hosted by the organization, following last year’s successful online auction.

Carolyn Messner, DSW, OSW-C, FAPOS, FAOSW, LCSW-R, CancerCare’s Director of Education and Training, remembers the first CancerCare Connect Education Workshop as if it was yesterday. “It was a snowy day in March thirty years ago, and we held a telephone workshop on doctor-patient communication called, ‘Doctor, Can We Talk?’ About 30 people signed up, and it was an amazing experience,” she recalls. “I could feel it was the start of something special.”