Joined Cancer Support Community

Recently, I found a cancer support non-profit group called Cancer Support Community online that had a lot of great resources.  They offer support groups, activities, and workshops with experts who come in and give hands on talks and give out free information and items.  They have family activities, care giver support groups, and some of them have children and teen groups.  The also offer some rather unique items I have not seen in other places like the Open to Options resource below.  I also posted a link the other day showing some free books you could order.

Open to Options

Open to Options™, helps you identify important questions about your treatment options based upon your personal needs. Call today to speak with one of our counselors
888-793-9355.

- See more at: http://www.cancersupportcommunity.org/MainMenu/About-Cancer/Treatment/Making-a-Treatment-Decision/Open-to-Options-2#sthash.ZHSSGxXx.dpuf

There are locations all over the United States.  The idea is that no matter where you are you have a place to go.  If you are a member of one location you are a member of all.  And they have a come as you are attitude.  This was originally founded as "Gilda's Club" by Gilda Radner when she was battling cancer.  We have 3 locations in North Texas: One in Keller/Fort Worth area (out off of Golden Triangle and 183), Dallas, and Plano.  

Jesse, Katie, and I recently joined and I attended my first support group there last week.  The clubhouses are really nice.  The one in Keller has multiple rooms with comfortable chairs for group activities, a big kitchen that always has free snacks, tea, and lemonade for the members, and an entertainment/game room with a big tv and gaming console. 

Jesse is going to to go to the caregivers support group in the near future.  We all attended our first workshop this week.  It was given by the chaplain at the hospital there and she gave a lecture regarding Spirituality and Cancer.  It was a non-denominational, general, higher being kind of thing geared to anyone who believes in a higher power.  She gave us some good resources and ideas of the types of things that might be helpful along our journey.  I really enjoyed the talk and the company!  

I'm trying to find something to get Katie involved in to get her some peer support with other children who have parents or family members with cancer, or even kids her age who have had, or do have cancer.  I think it would be helpful for her to be around other teens her age who understand the challenges of being in a family affected by cancer.  Currently the location we are going to in Keller does not have enough teens to form a teen group.  They just opened this location a while back.  I was told that the Dallas location might be a good one to look into.  I'm thinking we may just go out to Dallas on occasion when they have a really good family event on a weekend or something.