American Cancer Society insert for San Antonio Woman magazine

A special section for San Antonio Woman

Having cancer is hard enough but dealing with the side effects of

treatment and what happens to your appearance can be devas-

tating to a patient.

Look Good…Feel Better® is a free program offered throughout

the United States designed for women undergoing chemother-

apy, radiation and other forms of cancer treatment. Founded in

1989, it was developed in collaboration between the Personal

Care Products Council Foundation, the American Cancer Society

and the Professional Beauty Association/National Cosmetology

Association. Look Good…Feel Better offers instructions and ad-

vice on dealing with the temporary appearance changes of can-

cer treatment.

Mary Seward, (pictured above) a Look Good…Feel Better Sunrise

Award winner and a facilitator and trainer for San Antonio and

surrounding areas, was the first person to bring Look Good…Feel

Better to Texas. The first time she went to a session at a hospital

in Dallas she panicked. “What will I do with a room full of people

with cancer?” she said. Once she got in there and started their

session, she said she felt so comfortable and that each one was

like a best friend. The sessions are all product neutral, non-med-

ical and appearance related. Each cancer patient arrives for a

hands-on 2 hour session with 6-10 other patients in the room. It

is a welcome respite for their family member/caregiver as well.

The facilitator wants only the patients in the room so that they

are the focus so the family member/caregiver can have some free

time while the session is going on.

Each patient receives a gift bag of totally donated products that

match their skin type. The facilitators, who are all licensed cos-

metologists donating their time, then show each patient how

to apply the products to reduce the risk of infection and teaches

them tricks with wigs, turbans and hats to cover their hair loss.

Mary has a great trick for those new to treatment and just start-

ing to lose their hair: “No one wears panty hose anymore, but

if you take the top band off an old pair and tie it around your

head at night, in the morning just take it off and throw it away.

That way the patient doesn’t have the pain of seeing the lost

hair in the morning.”

Another tip she gives is to use old T-shirts as turbans.

That gives them a new look on their head every day.

The patient feels empowerment after a session of Look Good…

Feel Better! They are given the tools to control their appearance,

and that makes it easier to look at themselves in the mirror dur-

ing the difficult time of treatment and recovery. The best cancer

treatments aren’t always prescribed by a medical professional!

How can someone newly diagnosed, someone undergoing treat-

ment or even someone who has finished their treatment get to

Look Good…Feel Better? www.lookgoodfeelbetter.org.

The local American Cancer Society office can refer patients to

Look Good…Feel Better throughout San Antonio and nation-

wide. Just call 210-614-4212 or 1-800-227-2345 or visit

www.cancer.org.

look good feel betterH E L P I N G W O M E N W I T H C A N C E R

®

Contact the American Cancer Society online at cancer.orgor call our toll-free number 1.800.227.2345

A special section for San Antonio Woman6

7A special section for San Antonio Woman

American Cancer Societyis a volunteer-driven organi-zation. Fundraising activitiesall over the US, includingRelay for Life, Making Strides

against Breast Cancer and Cattle Baron’s Galas, are successfullydriven through many hours of dedicated volunteers. One local vol-unteer, Vicki Goebel, has been part of the American Cancer Societyfamily for over 30 years! Her story began back in Michigan, whereshe was a chair of Daffodil Days while working for a hospital in theOncology Department.

Vicki moved to San Antonio in 1987. Through her job doing mar-keting at the Texas Headache Institute she attended multiple HealthFairs and met staff from the American Cancer Society. This encour-aged her to start volunteering again with American Cancer Societyhere in San Antonio. In 1999 Vicki became the chair for Relay forLife. ”Boy was that a challenge! I took over and in three months,put a Relay together,” said Vicki. “My commitment was for twoyears because I knew it could be better if we had more time to planit!” Her second year was a huge success and for the next 10 yearsshe stayed involved with Relay for Life. During that time she wason the Texas Task Force for Relay for Life. “That was so fun – meet-ing and getting to know so many volunteers from around the state.While on the Task Force I chaired the State Committee for Awards.The most exciting part was announcing at the State meeting thatTexas won the Gordon Klatt National Award. It went to Leaky, Texasfor the most money raised per capita. While on the State Task ForceVicki was also nominated to attend the Celebration on the Hill Proj-ect where volunteers went to Washington DC to meet with Sena-tors and the House of Representatives to lobby for money tocontinue cancer research.

During that time, there was a local board for the American Can-cer Society and Vicki served on the ACS Board. While a board mem-ber she became involved with the Cattle Baron’s Gala and has beenfor the past 11 events. Her life took a turn during that time whenVicki became a cancer patient herself. She was diagnosed with thy-roid cancer and quickly became a part of the American Cancer So-ciety in a very different way — as a patient and a survivor.

“My story with being diagnosed is interesting. I remember beingat a Cattle Baron’s Gala and having fun, knowing I was going to goin for surgery the following week. I had my thyroid removed andwhen I was discharged from the hospital, I was told there was nocancer. Well, I work for a group of pathologists who wanted to seethe slides. Not knowing what was going on, they sent it to anotherspecialist to confirm what they had found — cancer. I received a callfrom my treating physician wanting to see me in his office as soonas possible. When I asked why, he told me that there was a mistakeand that cancer was found. I immediately called the doctors Iworked for to find out what was going on and they told me theycould not talk to me until I talked to my treating physician. When Itold them I had, they told me what they found and it was confirmedby another specialist.

“I consider myself very lucky that the pathologists I work for careabout me so much. I went through the radiation therapy and havebeen cancer-free now for five years. I have a sister who also hadthyroid cancer and is a two-time breast cancer survivor, so that putsme in a very high-risk category. I am watched very carefully by allof my doctors including the pathologists I work for.“

Four years ago a staff partner from the American Cancer Societyapproached Vicki and asked her to chair the Childhood Cancer ArtProject. The Art Project would be used as a Live Auction item at the

Cattle Baron’s Gala in the fall.“I took on the project not knowing much about it, and to my

surprise it was the best job ever! Working with the kids at CampDiscovery was the best!”

This also put her back in touch with cancer survivor David JamesTrujillo, whom she met when he was 10 years old and post bonemarrow transplant, at Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital. DavidJames became a camp counselor working with other kids who arecancer survivors, and has since graduated from college and teachingelementary school. He volunteers with these kids because he wantsto give back to the American Cancer Society and all the help theygave his family during his treatment.

The first art project Vicki was in charge of was a bench made ofceramic tiles painted by the kids. “It was a fantastic day with thekids.” After the tiles were complete Vicki took on the job of findingsomeone to create the bench. “I turned it over to Mr. Gabe Ro-driguez at Dollar Tile and he created an incredible bench that soldat the Live Auction for an all-time high of $42,000!” That bench isnow in a memory garden and touches people’s hearts every day.The next year the bench was repeated along with a table. Thebench is housed at a resort in the Hill Country.

The 2013 Art Project was a new creation. Vicki worked withartist Faryl Greller to have the kids create “Hearts of Hope”. Thispainting is a mural of hearts painted by the kids that was an expres-sion of what hope and love meant to them. The kids were alsoasked to write their thoughts about what “hope and love” meantto them and they wrote incredible things. Art Inc. took thosethoughts and etched them into plexiglass and created an incredibleframe for the mural and turned the piece into a work of art thatsold at the 2013 Cattle Baron’s Gala for a record $50,000! It nowhangs in the lobby of the Methodist Children’s Hospital Lobbythanks to the generosity of a donor.

This year, the American Cancer Society is happy to start a newprogram for the kids called “Wrangler Day at the Rio CiboloRanch.” Vicki took this new project on and hopes it will become anannual event. This day is to give kids a chance to come out and beon a working ranch and have fun while helping us create anotherbeautiful art project. This year it is a chandelier and the theme is“Shine the Light on a Cure.” “My dream for this project is to raisemore than the “Hearts of Hope” and that it will be hanging some-place where everyone can see it and know we are working to finda cure for cancer.“

“One of the most rewarding things about volunteering with theACS has been meeting so many incredible people and survivors. Ihave a fantastic boss who supports my volunteer work and a groupof friends that have been pulled into many of my volunteer proj-ects. You can ask a few and they will tell you the same thing andhow rewarding it has been for them. I also find it rewarding whenan art project touches so many people and how they take it uponthemselves to help others. That is what it’s all about.“

Vicki Goebel, volunteer extraordinaire and cancer survivor, is theDirector of Marketing for Precision Pathology.

Contact the American Cancer Society online at cancer.orgor call our toll-free number 1.800.227.2345

volunteer spotlightV I C K I G O E B E L



he initial diagnosis “You’ve got can-

cer” are hard words to hear. Once the

“Road to Recovery” begins, there are

many obstacles that each patient comes to.

Sometimes, the most difficult one can be

how to get to treatment.

A male patient, 68, spent more than 30

years in the car-hauling industry. His life

was filled with late-night truck stops,

cheap motels, greasy food and many miles

of steering 18-wheelers down blacktop

highways as America streaked by.

He was nearing retirement in 2005

when he was diagnosed with prostate can-

cer. By 2007, when he did retire, the cancer

had spread and was punching pain through

his left leg. Within six months, his leg was

paralyzed and he was relying on a scooter

to get him around. Suddenly driving, the

way he made his living all of his life, was

out of the question. How would he get to

his treatment at the Cancer Care Center on

Loop 410? A taxi would cost $30 each way,

and that expense would eat through his

savings. It also upset him that his wife

would have to take off work twice a week

to drive him to his appointments.

A chat at the center changed things.

While talking with someone at the center

before an appointment, he explained his

predicament. They immediately referred

him to a patient navigator at the American

Cancer Society who arranged rides from Le

Fleur Transportation. Now he calls the

service whenever he needs rides to and

from his appointments. “Without this serv-

ice, my wife would have taken off of work.

They went out of their way to make sure I

was taken care of. The American Cancer

Society transportation service has been a

lifesaver for me,” he says.

Transportation to and from appoint-

ments is a free service offered by the Amer-

ican Cancer Society here in San Antonio.

There are many patients who simply

cannot get to their cancer treatments.

Even if they have a car patients can’t drive

after many treatments because of afteref-

fects of the treatments.

Another patient contacted the Amer-

ican Cancer Society for transportation as

she does not drive. All of her family mem-

bers work and have very busy schedules.

Her husband is the sole provider to her

and their 3 children. The transportation

service has allowed the family to main-

tain some financial stability since the pa-

tient’s husband can continue to work

full-time. Without this free service, she

may not have made it to treatment on a

regular basis.

This service is just one of many free

services that American Cancer Society pro-

vides patients on a daily basis. In 2013

American Cancer Society provided 7256

rides to 555 patients in the San Antonio

area, which includes 12 counties.

Do you need a ride to treatment?

Please contact the American Cancer

Society at 1-800-227-2345 and speak

to a patient navigator. Or visit our

website at www.cancer.org.

T

10


When I first heard that I had cancer 25 years

ago, I was in shock and disbelief and scared

to the very core of my being. The feelings of

fear, powerlessness, and loss of control were

overwhelming and I could think of nothing

else. There were just so many feelings

swirling around in my head that whatever as-

surances my doctor gave me were not heard.

The word cancer was louder than anything

else I could hear, it was all I could think about.

When I was hospitalized recovering from a

mastectomy, a young woman came to see

me and identified herself as a volunteer

with the Reach to Recovery (RTR) program

of the American Cancer Society (ACS). She

brought information about breast cancer

and the services provided by ACS, but more

importantly she brought me hope because

she herself was a breast cancer survivor. Her

visit was very powerful and provided me

with the hope, perseverance, and optimism

I needed to fight cancer.

Once I was finished with my cancer treat-

ments, I thought I could also help other

women who were going through what I

had gone through. I wanted to give them

the hope that survival was possible and life

could go back to normal. I became an ACS

volunteer in 1990, and I’m still very much

an active volunteer. I firmly believe in the

tremendous impact that the ACS has on pa-

tients, their families and the community. I,

along with other volunteers in the RTR pro-

gram, visit women who receive an initial di-

agnosis of breast cancer. We bring accurate

and timely information about breast cancer

as well as information about ACS services.

More importantly, we bring hope and en-

couragement to these patients. We quickly

form a bond with them since they realize

that we have been there, we have heard

the words “you have cancer“, we have felt

that initial paralyzing fear, we have had ra-

diation, we have experienced the side ef-

fects of chemotherapy. They feel they can

ask those questions that deal with their fears and emotions, questions that they

want to shield from their loved ones. They see us as powerful examples of how we

have survived and continue to reach to recovery.

I find much fulfillment as a volunteer with ACS. My personal goal is to continue to

assure that patients who have received a cancer diagnosis have easy access to ACS

services. I especially want to reach those patients who do not have easy access to serv-

ices due to barriers such as poverty, isolation, and language problems. I am grateful

to ACS for being there when I desperately needed a lifeline to lift me from hopeless-

ness to hopefulness.

Contact the American Cancer Society online at cancer.orgor call our toll-free number 1.800.227.2345.

ROSE ORSBORN

11


On any given day at the San Antonio American Cancer Society

office located at 8115 Datapoint, there are patients waiting to

be fitted for a wig. This is a free service that is key to many

women’s rehabilitation. Having cancer is hard enough, dealing

with the loss of hair makes it even tougher for a patient.

Lorna Wong, a cancer survivor and retired teacher, has been

volunteering at the American Cancer Society for the past two

years fitting patients. “It is a way to give back from my own can-

cer experience, I feel lucky to be a survivor!”

Each patient is entitled to one wig per diagnosis and an al-

ternative head covering to use when the wig doesn’t feel com-

fortable. There are turbans and caps made by volunteers,

crocheted and hand decorated to choose from. “The wigs are

synthetic and not human hair because they are so much easier

to care for! These women have enough to think about without

needing to worry about caring for their wigs!” says Lorna.

“Since it is sometimes awkward for women without hair to go

out in public, they feel better when they leave here and they

love how they look!”

Pillows are also available, made by volunteers, that pa-

tients can use as a cushion under their seat belt to protect

their port while going through treatment.

recoveryitemsLORNA WONG

If you need a wig or head covering, please contact the American Cancer Society office to set an appointment210-614-4212 or for more information call 1-800-223-7345 or visit www.cancer.org.

13

“We can never tell what is in store for us.”– Harry S. Truman

My story begins seventeen years ago, eight days after celebrat-

ing my 21st birthday. I had not been feeling well the months prior

to my birthday and did not think much of it. Why would I? I was a

college student without a care in the world, so I ignored the not-

so-great feeling and went on with my life. I have been blessed with

a loving family comfortable “walking in my shoes” with me. I am

not exceptional, just ordinary. Two caring brothers, a father always

there for me, and loving mother and stepfather make up my im-

mediate family! A fifth-generation Dallasite, my life has been that

of the classic all-American girl enjoying life.

In March of 1997 my life changed. I felt a lump above my collar

bone about the size of a large marble. It was alarming because

there was no pain, just an unexplainable lump. I was immediately

taken to the doctor by my mother and underwent extensive tests.

Waiting has always been difficult for me. A few days later, I received

the news. I received a diagnosis of stage 3 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Life from that moment on was put on hold for both me and my

family, but in reality life went on and had to. I came home from the

doctor’s office, looked in the mirror with tears in my eyes and said

to myself things will be a lot different.

A new normal had to be established immediately, and I had to

stay strong. A rollercoaster of ups and downs, twists and turns of

emotions challenged me daily, compounded with twelve rounds of

chemotherapy. Two months of daily radiation changed daily rou-

tine, sleep patterns, some relationships, and considerations about

my future. The support I received from my family, church, friends

and strangers brought me so much closer in my faith in God and

the realization that healing was possible. Each day I received a

serendipity (a providential surprise) that gave me strength to meet

the daily challenge. I realized that I was too young to feel sorry for

myself and had to fight to the finish. I was not going to let cancer

win. Finally, seven years later I was released from my oncologist and

declared cured. The fight was finished, and I had won!

Well, we never know what is going to happen! In late August

in 2013, I discovered a lump in my left breast. I was praying that I

was going to be fine, because my health has been great for YEARS.

Nothing is going to stop all the good I have going in my life.

Tests determined a diagnosis of stage 2 invasive ductal carci-

noma breast cancer. The dreaded second malignancy nightmare

which had been looming in the back of my head for years had come

true. Anger, denial, confusion, fear and finally acceptance were my

emotions. How long did it take me to work through these emo-

tions? Time was not on my side, so in about a week I came to accept

the fact that this was my new reality and a new way of life. In Oc-

tober a double mastectomy was performed with Deip Flap recon-

structive surgery using my own abdominal tissue followed by four

rounds of chemotherapy. I was and am blessed to have fabulous

professional medical treatment in San Antonio. My doctors and

nurses are some of the miracles in my life.

Cancer has not defined my life. My life has so many prisms. I

work for the American Cancer Society in Austin and have the priv-

ilege to raise funds for cancer research and assistance for cancer pa-

tients and their families. I volunteer with the Junior League and

have had placements in a Neonatal ICU hospital as a “Cuddler” and

as a play therapy volunteer at a children’s behavioral hospital. I love

to cook and travel, have fabulous friends who call and take me fun

places, a caring, praying community and an unconditionally loving

family. I felt I had paid my dues to cancer the first time. How could

this happen again? How will this diagnosis impact my career? How

as a single person will I survive? Well, hope comes from the people

that have surrounded me. How blessed could I be!

The American Cancer Society has been a supportive cushion in

my healing journey. The research in the past 17 years has signifi-

cantly changed for the better all of the devastating side effects of

chemotherapy treatment. Information and education offered

through the American Cancer Society provides answers to the treat-

ment and healing process and gives hope to cancer survivors and

their families. The American Cancer Society has resources within

every community throughout the healing journey with transporta-

tion assistance through Road to Recovery, wigs and assistance with

personal grooming tips for great appearance through Look Good

Feel Better, personal organization files that keep me on track when

the “chemo brain” jumps into my world, and temporary hotel

rooms as known as Guest Room arranged for the out-of-town pa-

tient before treatment. Almost all of these services I witness first-

hand not only as an American Cancer Society employee but also as

a patient. They are lifesaving!

For all of us there is that moment when you choose to ground

yourself and live each day with authenticity and gratitude for all of

those life lessons, conversations and teachable moments that have

come your way. I owe a big thank you to everyone who has given

me a smile, said “we are praying for you,” brought a casserole over

at the end of the day, taken me on trips far and near, allowed me

to rest and take a nap, and stayed my friend.

My story is not unique. Everyone has someone in their life that

needs encouragement and a sense of hope. What have I learned

from this experience? All of us have challenges that can bring doubt

into our lives. Look for positive people in your life. Have faith that

you are not alone and in God’s providence and grace. You are in

the palm of His hand to comfort and guide you. Live a life of grat-

itude for the big but especially the small

things. Don’t give up. Have hope, as each

day brings the opportunity to love and be

in relationship with others. I have hope

that I will finish the fight!

Patia Stirling Sandifer works for the

American Cancer Society in Austin. She is

a graduate of Schreiner University.

a story of hope PATIA SANDIFER


American Cancer Society insert for San Antonio Woman magazine

Documents

Transcript of American Cancer Society insert for San Antonio Woman magazine