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Take Charge – February 2021

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The four classes in the Take Charge series include nutrition, exercise, side effects, and communicating with your healthcare team. Each class is 1 hour long and available online, this February. 

Take Charge: Nutrition

Eating healthy foods during and after treatment is key to feeling strong and giving your body adequate nutrition, but sometimes survivors may find it more challenging to eat than others. Nutritional needs vary, and eating well overall might help your body feel better, maintain strength, weight, nutrients, lower risk of infection, and help your body tolerate treatment related side-effects, as well as help you heal and recover faster (ACS, 2019). Join us Thursday, February 4th at 12:00 to learn more about using food as a tool to maintain and improve your health. Leading our virtual meeting is Noelle Butler, ND. Click HERE to check the calendar, register, and launch Zoom.

Nutrition handout

 

Take Charge: Exercise

Physical activity can improve mood, energy levels, and be beneficial in maintaining overall health. Evidence suggests “that moderate-intensity aerobic training and/or resistance exercise during and after cancer treatment can reduce anxiety, depressive symptoms, and fatigue and improve health-related quality of life and physical function” (NCI, 2020). Learn easy ways to incorporate exercise into your life during any stage of survivorship with certified personal trainer, Becky Franks, on Thursday, February 11th at 12:00. Click HERE to check the calendar, register, and launch zoom.

 

Take Charge: Side Effects

            Learn from Anna Buckmaster, DPT, CLT, on how Take Charge will assist you with reclaiming wellness. This class will also touch on the side effects survivors may encounter. Although each person’s experience may vary, side effects from surgery, treatment, and therapy can affect the body’s ability to absorb the proper amount of nutrients needed to keep it functioning at a healthy level. Some of these side effects include loss of appetite, nausea, changes in the way food tastes, and feeling full quickly. This series is comprised of open classes that address what you need at the time of transition on Thursday, February 18th at 12:00. Click HERE to check the calendar, register, and launch Zoom.

Side Effects handout

 

Take Charge: Communicating with Your Healthcare Team

This series is comprised of open classes that address what you need at the time of transition. When do you see your Oncologist? When do you see your General Practitioner? It can be confusing. Polly Knuchel, NP is here help you navigate communicating with your healthcare team as well as other questions that you have of this nature on Thursday, February 25th at 12:00. Click HERE to check the calendar, register, and launch Zoom.

 

 

Sources

American Cancer Society. (2019, July 15). Benefits of Good Nutrition During Cancer Treatment. www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorship-during-and-after-treatment/staying-active/nutrition/benefits.html

National Cancer Institute. (2020, February 10). Physical Activity and Cancer. National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/obesity/physical-activity-fact-sheet

 

Anxiety in the Cancer Experience

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By: Grace Van Cleef

My mom has always had a stereotypical “Type A” personality: hardworking, meticulous, and high achieving. Of course, this has been a benefit throughout her life. She holds two and a half jobs, but she loves her work and she tackles each day with spirit. As the choir director/organist of a local church and conductor of a local community choir, she has never had a dull moment.

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Supporting a Friend Who Has Cancer

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Dr. Lidia Schapira, Cancer.net

If one of your friends has cancer, you may be wondering the best way to support him or her. Even though you want to help, it can be hard to know what to say or do.

It is important to remember that there are no set rules and every friendship is different. Be sure to think about your unique dynamic and let that guide you as you try to support your friend. Keep it simple. Remember that often the little things mean the most.

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Talking to Children about Cancer

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By Becky Franks & Sarah Skoglund –    

A cancer diagnosis is a difficult time for not only the patient, but also for their family. If you have cancer and are the parent or guardian of a young child, you may wonder whether it’s a good idea to discuss your illness with your child. Child psychologists agree that it is usually best to give your child accurate, age-appropriate information because when left to their own thoughts and ways of understanding, kids can blame themselves or make up ideas about what mom or dad are going through and what the outcome may be. Talking to a child about cancer is not easy, but it is necessary and important.

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