Free Wig Clinics at CancerCare’s National Office in NYC

March 14, 2013

Cancer and its treatments can cause uncomfortable physical changes. Some changes may be managed with medication, such as nausea. Others, such as hair loss, can have a more visible and long-term effect on a person’s quality of life.

CancerCare client Fannie can attest to this all too well. After calling CancerCare to get help and speaking with a professional oncology social worker, she admitted that she was distressed by her hair falling out due to treatments for breast cancer. “It was very scary,” Fannie says. “I felt like I was losing part of myself.”

Thanks to the free wig she received, Fannie feels more comfortable with the changes brought on by her treatments for breast cancer.

Fannie’s social worker informed her about CancerCare’s free wig clinics, where experts help people coping with hair loss get fitted for wigs and offer tips to help better manage physical changes due to treatment. Fannie attended a workshop shortly after, and was fitted for a free wig. “It was like Christmas,” Fannie recalls. “I was almost speechless.” Thanks to the wig she received, Fannie feels more comfortable with the changes brought on by her treatment.

Read CancerCare’s free fact sheet, “Tips for Managing Hair Loss,” to learn about coping with hair loss due to cancer and its treatments.

CancerCare will offer its next free wig clinic at its national headquarters in New York City on Friday, March 22 at 2:00 p.m. We also provide free wigs by appointment in our Norwalk, CT, Ridgewood, NJ and Long Island, NY offices.

Registration is required for all programs; call 800-813-HOPE (4673) or visit www.cancercare.org/community_programs for more information.

View a full calendar of our upcoming community programs and clinics.

Don’t live in the tri-state area of New York? We can help you locate resources in your community. Contact us at info@cancercare.org; or call 800‑813‑HOPE (4673) and a CancerCare oncology social worker can refer you to local resources.

1 Comment | Coping with Cancer, Treatment Side Effects | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Get Help Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects

March 9, 2012

Patients undergoing chemotherapy can experience various side effects, which can range from discomforting to debilitating. Most side effects are short term, but some can last throughout treatment and even for some time afterward.

CancerCare’s latest Connect Booklet, Understanding and Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects, offers practical information on managing side effects so that treatment goes as smoothly as possible.

Read the booklet to learn how to manage various side effects, including:

  • nausea and vomiting
  • hair loss
  • mouth sores
  • peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage)
  • and fatigue.

To order free copies of the booklet, call 800-813-HOPE (4673) or use the online order form on our website.

CancerCare also offers more than a dozen Connect Education Workshops on managing various side effects, which can be replayed as podcasts. View the workshops and learn more about our free resources on coping with side effects.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Get Help Managing Cancer-Related Pain

February 6, 2012

A new study found that many patients coping with cancer reported better managing their cancer-related pain after receiving emotional and/or practical support. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, also found that education about pain management helped patients learn to better control their pain.

Read more about the study.

Pain is a symptom of cancer and its treatments that can—and should—be controlled. CancerCare’s professional oncology social workers work with people coping with cancer to develop strategies for managing cancer-related pain. It is important for patients to discuss any pain they are experiencing with their health care team, which can include doctors, nurses, social workers, or pain specialists.

CancerCare provides pain-management information in our free publications, Controlling Cancer Pain: What You Need to Know to Get Relief, and “Opening the Door to Effective Pain Management.” Leading medical experts also addressed pain-management techniques during CancerCare’s Connect Education Workshop, “Coping with Cancer Pain: What You Need to Know.”

Learn more about CancerCare’s free resources about pain management.

1 Comment | Clinical Trials, Doctor-Patient Communication, Mind-Body-Spirit, Treatment Side Effects | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Most Promising Cancer Treatment Advances of 2011

December 29, 2011

New treatment therapies and promising results from a variety of clinical trials over this year are giving new hope to people affected by cancer. Showcased at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), held this past June in Chicago, these advances and breakthroughs in cancer treatments were especially encouraging for people with melanoma, breast cancer, lung cancer and numerous other diagnoses which have been difficult to treat.

CancerCare has compiled these most promising findings in its new booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments: Highlights from ASCO 2011, available online now. You can also order your free copies from our publications page.

Leave a Comment » | Clinical Trials, Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis, Treatment Guidelines, Treatment Side Effects, Women's Cancers | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak

New Booklets on Mouth Pain and Multiple Myeloma

November 23, 2011

CancerCare’s newest Connect Booklet, Managing Oral Mucositis, is now available.

The term “oral mucositis” refers to mouth sores caused by irritation of the mucosa, soft tissues that cover the tongue and inside of the mouth. Our new booklet offers tips on controlling mouth pain and managing this side effect of some cancer treatments.

Read the booklet or order free copies.

Our new e-booklet, Advances in the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma, is now live on www.cancercare.org. The e-booklet describes the different treatment options for multiple myeloma, and offers tips on coping with the emotional and practical challenges of a multiple myeloma diagnosis.

Read the e-booklet.

Like all of CancerCare’s services, our publications are available to you completely free of charge. View all of CancerCare’s in-stock publications.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Breast Cancer Focus of Free Connect Workshops

October 4, 2011

Leading experts in breast cancer treatment will answer your questions this month during three Connect Education Workshops:

Listen in live by telephone or online. These workshops will also be available as podcasts.

Like all of CancerCare’s services, our Connect Education Workshops are completely free of charge — no phone charges apply. However, pre-registration is required.

Learn more about our free, professional support services for people coping with breast cancer.

Leave a Comment » | Caregiving, Coping with Cancer, Learn More About Your Diagnosis, Treatment Side Effects, Women's Cancers | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak

Resources for Post-Transplant Survivors

August 22, 2011

Celebrating a Second Chance at Life is a two-day event for bone marrow, stem cell, and cord blood transplant survivors and their loved ones.

Taking place Sept. 10-11 in Atlanta, GA, this symposium covers topics such as how to manage the emotional challenges of long-term survivorship, family planning after a transplant, navigating insurance issues, and coping with chemobrain.

Learn more about this event.

CancerCare also offers survivorship resources including information about coping with chemobrain and post-treatment survivorship issues. Professionally moderated post-treatment support groups are also available.

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Posted by jzahora

Questions About Post-Treatment Survivorship? Ask CancerCare

August 3, 2011

Advances in treatment are allowing more people than ever before to live with and beyond cancer. Today, there are more than 12 million cancer survivors in the United States. A cancer diagnosis can have long-term effects on a person’s physical health, emotional well-being, and finances, long after their treatment has ended. 

Do you have questions or concerns about being a cancer survivor? Submit your question to CancerCare.

CancerCare oncology social worker Maria Chi, LCSW will answer questions through the month of August in the “Ask CancerCare” section of our website. Questions are submitted anonymously, and responses to selected questions will be posted on the “Ask CancerCare” section of our website.

CancerCare offers free, professional support services on post-treatment survivorship including our recent Connect Education Workshop, “Survivorship and Workplace Transitions,” and free publications such as After Treatment Ends: Tools for the Adult Cancer Survivor.

Visit our website to learn more about CancerCare’s free resources for post-treatment cancer survivors.

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Posted by Kyle Hornyak

New Article on Coping with Treatment-Related Rash and Dry Skin

July 7, 2011

Longtime CancerCare Connect Education Workshop presenter Mario E. Lacouture, MD writes about treating rash and dry skin as a result of cancer treatment in the latest issue of Oncology Times.

Dr. Lacouture, a world-renowned dermatologist, has served as a medical expert during numerous CancerCare Connect Education Workshops, including “Understanding and Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects.”

Dr. Lacouture with CancerCare Director of Education and Training Carolyn Messner, DSW at CancerCare's Annual Spring Gala

Read the Oncology Times article.

More tips for coping with rash and dry skin from treatment can be found in CancerCare’s free publications, “Tips for Managing Treatment-Related Rash and Dry Skin” and “Caring for Your Skin During Cancer Treatment.”

Leave a Comment » | Coping with Cancer, Treatment Side Effects | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Kyle Hornyak