Taking Control after
a Cancer Diagnosis
BY KAREN KOLIVOSKY
Debbi Benton isn’t conquering cancer
through medicine alone. She also has the help
of a nutritionist, a psychologist, make-up and beauty professionals
and other experts.
Those are some of the resources provided to patients
at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center’s Wellness
Center. While CTRC’s medical specialists focus on a
patient’s physical health, the Wellness Center focuses on
every other aspect of the patient’s life.
“We’re made up of mind, body and spirit, so for total
wellness, you have to address the total being,” says Mary
Jackson, M.S.N., R.N., O.C.N., director of the Wellness
Center and Patient and Family Services at CTRC. “You
need to offer all these things that support the whole person
through their journey.”
From support groups to tai chi classes, meditation to
massage, the Wellness Center offers programs to aid
patients at every step of their treatment. Almost all of
them are offered at no cost to the patient.
Benton credits the Wellness Center staff with getting
her this far in her battle against cancer. “You need more than chemo, surgery and radiation to
get through,” Benton notes. “Like the book says, ‘It takes
a village to raise a child.’ It takes an entire cancer center
to cure the patient.”
Benton, a San Antonio business owner, was diagnosed
with breast cancer in November 2006 and is
undergoing treatment at CTRC. One of the first Wellness
Center services she took advantage of was a support
group led by social worker Jenny Gonzales for cancer
patients and their families and friends.
There, Benton saw fellow patients at all stages of cancer
treatment, from those who had just begun to those
who had finished. The group helped her realize that she wasn’t alone in her
journey, and also
gave her hope.
“You see that if
they got to the
other side, I can as
well,” Benton says.
Education is
also one of the
center’s most
important roles,
Jackson says.
The patient library
is furnished with
c o m f o r t a b l e
chairs, a TV, and
DVD player, and it
stocks books and
brochures addressing almost every aspect of cancer. A
library computer with Internet access is bookmarked
with reliable cancer-related sites to guide patients to
helpful, accurate information. Another facet of the program
is the series of monthly lunch lectures designed
to give patients insights into cancer care issues.
Barbra Swanson, N.D., R.D., is another important part
of the Wellness Center team. Swanson provides one-onone
nutrition counseling for patients, along with nutrition
workshops and cooking demonstrations that teach people
interesting — and tasty — ways to eat better.
Swanson also presents a series of “power food”
classes in which she introduces patients to nutritionrich
sea vegetables and high-protein vegetarian dishes.
Of special interest to many cancer patients, she teaches
an ongoing workshop on nutrition, vitamins and
supplements, as well.
Exercise and movement classes help patients cope with
the side effects of treatment. Jackson admits that patients
suffering the discomfort that often accompanies cancer
treatment sometimes look at her like she’s crazy when she
suggests they exercise. But, Jackson reports, research
shows that regular exercise can help ease side effects and
even contribute to survival after treatment is complete.
Among the several exercise programs sponsored by the
Wellness Center is the Lebed movement program created
by a dancer and breast cancer survivor. Lebed helps fight
common side effects like fatigue and lymphedema.
Health and beauty classes address another important
issue. Patients can learn how to cope with still
other physical side effects of cancer, using make-up
and skin care techniques to cope with the changes
that radiation and chemotherapy can bring. Patients
can also learn how to choose and care for a wig.
“Cancer is sometimes so devastating to the appearance.
It changes perceptions of body image and can
lead to stress, anxiety and depression,” Jackson says.
Patients also have access to private sessions with Dr.
Joel Marcus, an oncologic psychologist who specializes
in the feelings and emotions that come from a cancer
diagnosis. He’s also skilled in hypnotherapy, a technique
that can help patients with anxiety, fear or pain control.
Benton understands that some people might be hesitant
to see a psychologist, but recommends it as one
of the most helpful things she’s done.
“Everybody’s having a hard road to journey, and no one
has been on that journey before, and they really don’t
know how to do this on their own,” she says. “I’m an independent
woman, I own two businesses, and I’ve never
relied on anyone for anything. And I needed this help.”
The Wellness Center calendar includes relaxation
therapies such as reiki, a Japanese technique that promotes
stress reduction and healing. Chair massages
are available every Wednesday.
Jackson brings in certified art therapists to help
patients express themselves through art. There’s even
a scrapbooking class for patients to create a journal of
their lives, a process that creates a lasting legacy for
patients and their families.
Each year, the Wellness Center hosts a weekend-long
retreat for patients featuring a schedule of nationally known
speakers and special events. This year’s retreat took place
in May at a Hill Country ranch and featured keynote speaker
Dr. Jeremy Geffen, a medical oncologist from Colorado
and author of The Journey through Cancer.
Singer-songwriter and cancer survivor David Bailey
performed at the retreat, as well. Bailey was told he
would be dead in months after being diagnosed with a
brain tumor. That was 11 years ago, and since then, his
experience has fueled a successful music career.
The retreat marked a breakthrough for Benton, who
was able to attend after treatments sidelined her for
most of the year. The staff and speakers provided a
much-needed boost.
“They were just so uplifting and helpful that you want
to continue on,” Benton said. That, says Jackson, is
the whole point of the Wellness Center.
“When you get a cancer diagnosis, you can feel like
things are out of control, and that can lead to depression
and anxiety,” Jackson says. “But if a patient can take back
some of that control through nutrition, exercise and other
activities, it really does lead to a better quality of life.”
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