Speech revised

CEO Melanie Wilson Cancer Care Services: How to make an impact in the battle against cancer Speech at the Fort Worth Rotary Club Fort Worth, TX

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Thanks, Welcome and Acknowledgements (SHOW SLIDE 1) “Cancer is so limited… It cannot cripple love. It cannot shatter hope. It cannot corrode faith. It cannot destroy peace. It cannot kill friendship. It cannot suppress memories. It cannot silence courage. It cannot invade the soul. It cannot conquer the Spirit. It cannot steal eternal life.”

 As a cancer caregiver and survivor myself, this quote really holds true for me. There is a lot of the negativity and often hopelessness surrounding cancer and rightfully so (PAUSE).  But if you can look past that, in the cancer community, you will find some of the most beautiful, compassionate, strong, unified and driven people in the world. A presence so powerful that when you are a part

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of it, it makes a life of dedication worth it, and that ugly side of cancer much less powerful (PAUSE).

Sorry, I hate to open this by inflating my ego, but when you are a part of such a special community, it is hard to resist (JOKINGLY FOLLOWED BY A PAUSE).

 The truth is, cancer is the number one killer around the world and it is still on the rise today.  Each year 7.6 million people die from cancer. That’s more than five times the number of people who die in car accidents. More than 14 times the number of people who die from alcohol.

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 Perhaps the saddest part of this is that scientific evidence shows that 30 to 40 percent of those deaths can be prevented (MOVE TO CENTER STAGE).

“Well you can’t cure cancer, Ms. Wilson,” you might say. And well, yeah you are right. But you can diagnose it early on, treat it early on, and beat it early on.

 According to the Huffington Post, up to 340 thousand cases of cancer in the U.S. alone, could be prevented by early diagnosis, treatment and with the right support systems in place.

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 My relationship with cancer is a very personal one. One that has turned my life on its head, a hundred times and back again, and yet I am in many ways grateful for it.  After beating cancer, I knew that one, my life would never be the same, and two, cancer would always be a part of my life. A few years after my own journey, I found myself called upon to guide a loved one through their journey.  Soon after, I started working at Cancer Care Services of North Texas, and I haven’t looked back since.

And that’s why I’m here to talk to you today.

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Cancer Care Services, a family more than anything, is a group of some of the most passionate, driven, empathetic people you will ever meet, but by definition is a Fort Worth-based nonprofit that serves almost 6 thousand clients affected by cancer in Tarrant, Hood and Parker Counties.  Our mission is to provide help and hope to cancer patients, survivors, their families and caregivers through direct financial, emotional, spiritual and social programs, services and activities.

There really is no cancer support service in the area quite like Cancer Care Services. We offer a unique blend of financial, emotional, social and spiritual support to not only cancer patients, but also to their families and caregivers.

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Perhaps the biggest burden put onto a cancer patient and their family is a financial one. Between medical bills, supplies, insurance and transportation, costs really do add up quickly (SHOW SLIDE 2).

 Drugwatch.com reports that cancer costs $895 billion annually. That’s over $200 billion more than the annual cost of heart disease.

 Between doctors visits, medical bills, prescriptions, equipment and transportation, the average cost of living for an individual with cancer was a crippling $207,000 in 2013.

 I experienced these costs first-hand, as my journey with cancer often left me struggling to support myself and my family financially, a truly

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disheartening feeling and makes one wrongfully question their selfworth.

So where do these costs come from? Well, half comes from outpatient hospitals and doctors visits, 35 percent from inpatient stays and 11 percent from prescription medications (PAUSE).

That’s where our team steps in to alleviate some of these costs.

 We provide cancer patients a monthly allowance for approved prescriptions for eligible patients.

 We provide limited time assistance with health insurance premiums.

 We provide low or no cost nutritional supplements to cancer patients.

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 We provide a transportation reimbursement allowance for cancer patients to get to radiation treatment and other medical appointments safely and on time.

 We provide monthly allowances for cancer-related medical supplies such as bandages and wheelchairs.

 We lend quality medical equipment to our clients at no cost such as shower chairs, wheelchairs, walkers, and oxygen assistance.

 We even have volunteer dentists to perform limited dental work for patients prior to treatment.

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One thing that makes a huge difference for cancer patients and their caregivers is emotional support. Even with my experience and knowledge of cancer, filling the caregiver role was no easy task, and I spent countless nights consumed by negativity and hopelessness, struggling to balance my life with the responsibilities of a caregiver. It got so bad that I began to resent the person I loved and was trying to help. It is so easy to slip into hopelessness and depression when facing cancer, and our family at Cancer Care Services helps prevent that. We offer support groups comprised of highly trained and dedicated counselors, social workers and volunteers at no cost (SHOW SLIDE 3).

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 Support groups have been proven to help patients, families and caregivers cope with cancer, improve their quality of life and even increase chances of survival.

 We have both group and individually tailored support programs which help build a support system that best serves the comfort and needs of the patient.

 Perhaps the most beneficial function of support groups is a resource and a place to connect with others and share experiences. It is extremely comforting for anyone affected by cancer to know that they are not alone.

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 Support groups also help cancer patients, families and caregivers learn to cope and acclimate to their newly changed lives.

 Support groups are also critical for caregivers and families, providing the encouragement, emotional and physical support loved ones need to find balance in their new roles in the cancer community.

 Cancer Care Services offers a wide range of emotional support services and events for children, teens and adults including movie night, Crafternoon, where families and caregivers de-stress and express themselves creatively through arts and crafts, yoga, reflexology, massage therapy, counseling and our Family Festival,

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where families and caregivers come together to carve pumpkins, eat Halloween treats and celebrate everything Fall.

My personal favorite of our events is CampCARE, a no cost, week-long day camp at the beautiful lakeside Camp Carter, for children who have a loved one facing cancer. Not only do the children get to run around, play games, participate in exciting activities, but they also learn how to better cope and express their feelings regarding cancer, all under the guidance of a licensed therapist (MOVE TO STAGE LEFT).

Spiritual support is an often-overlooked area of support that makes a world of difference for people of faith who are affected by cancer. With everything

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going on in their lives, it is often hard for cancer patients and their loved ones to routinely attend church or find the time and energy to keep religion in their lives, which often negatively impacts a person’s faith (MOVE TO CENTER STAGE).  We provide a no cost, weekly, non-denominational bible study called Bible Care, in which we discuss coping strategies on a spiritual level.

Reconnecting cancer patients, survivors, caregivers and their families to their religious beliefs is something we find very important. We also provide lunch at no-cost, which is usually a good enough incentive for me (laughs).

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Spiritual support does more than just help an individual maintain their faith in a time of struggle and uncertaintly. In fact, there is significant research linking spirituality to key benefits for cancer patients and their caregivers.  Dr. Brian D. Lawenda, a Harvard Medical School graduate, reports that incorporating spirituality into cancer treatment can lead to many benefits for cancer patients, including better managed and reduced depression, regret, anger and anxiety. Spiritual support can also increase a cancer patient’s ability to enjoy life, be optimistic, find inner-peace and cope with the effects of cancer.

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Often the true strength and beauty of an individual comes to light only in the hardest of times. This is no better exemplified than by the cancer community. Filled with some of the strongest, driven, hard-working, passionate people in the world, this community offers an invaluable resource to businesses and organizations in any field (SHOW SLIDE 4) (MOVE TO STAGE RIGHT). Building a network of hard-working individuals and helping with such an impactful cause strengthens a brand’s image, builds public trust, and drives an organization forward in a progressive, responsible, compassionate manner. You can get involved and connect with us today through sponsorship, volunteering or donating. Or hopefully all three (SMILE AND PAUSE).

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 Perhaps the most dynamic of the ways to get involved with Cancer Care Services is by sponsoring one of our professional events such as the Heroes of Hope Luncheon which brings together the staff, volunteers, patients and the community.

 The most direct and impactful way to get involved, however, is by volunteering your time to those affected by cancer. We have a variety of volunteer programs available based on the skills and availability of the volunteer, ranging from assisting in the office, to mentoring a patient or caregiver, to joining our event committee, to our adopt-afamily program. We believe that connecting a volunteer to a role that

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best suits them, results in growth and positive experiences for both the volunteer and our clients.

 Now I know that many of you have busy schedules and cannot afford to contribute a significant amount of time to our cause, and that is fine. You can still make a big impact in the cancer community by making a monetary donation. We currently have five donation price tiers ranging from $50 to $1,000. Just to give you all an idea of how a small donation goes a long way, one $50 donation would provide a month of transportation to appointments for a cancer patient, or a year supply of vital nutritional supplements. With that being said, we will accept donations of any amount.

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 A big differentiator for us is where is that money actually going.

While many nonprofits spend a big chunk of your generous donations on administrative costs, we work hard to manage that side of things so that all of your donation goes directly to the emotional, financial and spiritual support services we've talked about today. We are also more than happy to follow up and a donation, so you can see exactly where your money went, and so you can share your charitable story with a sense of pride and civic accomplishment.

Cancer is not taking a day off and neither can we. Any help you can provide our cause will be accepted with open arms, because without the selfless action of beautiful people like you, none of this would be possible. So please

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reach out and touch the life of someone affected by cancer. I have no doubt that you will grow in the process (SHOW SLIDE 5).

Thank you all for your time, and I will now open the floor to any comments or questions (SMILE AND PAUSE).

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21 WORKS CITED: Elkins, C. (2015, October 07). How Much Cancer Costs. Retrieved March 21, 2017, from https://www.drugwatch.com/2015/10/07/cost-of-cancer/ Lawenda, M. B., & About Brian D. Lawenda, M.D.I am an integrative oncologist. I trained at Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard Medical School) in radiation oncology and through Stanford-UCLA (Helms Medical Institute) in medical acupuncture. I am the founder of IntegrativeOncology-Essentials.

(2016, January 14). Spirituality and Cancer 101. Retrieved March 21, 2017, from https://integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2012/08/spirituality-andcancer/ Neal, M. (2011, February 04). World Cancer Day: 340,000 Cases Of Cancer A Year In The U.S. Could Be Prevented. Retrieved March 21, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/04/world-cancer-day-adeclar_n_818472.html Road Crash Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2017, from http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/roadcrash-statistics We help individuals affected by cancer in Tarrant, Parker and Hood Counties by supporting cancer patients, caring for caregivers and empowering survivors. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2017, from http://cancercareservices.org/

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