HEALTH
Resilient, Informed, Strong, Extraordinary
Susan Werlinich’s local cancer support group, RISE, empowers and educates cancer survivors, patients and caregivers.
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BY BETH A. KLAHRE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN MUUSS
When Susan Werlinich moved from Columbus, Ohio, to Southport, she searched long and hard for a cancer support group in her new town. As an oncology nurse for more than 30 years, she knew first-hand the importance and value of support groups for seriously ill people. Finding none, she started one. RISE — Resilient, Informed, Strong and Extraordinary — brings together cancer survivors from all communities in the surrounding area. Werlinich hosted the first several meetings in a friend’s home. Word got around about her credentials and the impact the group members were having on each other, and soon the growing group was meeting at the St. James Community Center in Southport. David Goudy of Southport attended his first group meeting in 2020 when
he was diagnosed. “The value of this group is gaining another level of support as I move through the various processes of
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chemotherapy,” he says. “I have had great support from friends and family, but sitting with a group of people who are also having this
I have had great support from friends and family, but sitting with a group of people who are also having this experience has been helpful.
South Brunswick Magazine
