A cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming for patients and their loved ones. They often experience a wide range of emotions and have many questions about what lies ahead for them. Fortunately because of your support, there is a comforting place at CancerCare Manitoba which has the resources and answers they are often seeking.
Your investment funds the Patient and Family Resource Centre (PFRC), a sanctuary of sorts for the nearly 6,000 patients and family members annually who access its valuable resources and programs.
Lisa Savoie is one of these patients and she is so grateful to you. While undergoing treatment for her rare nose cancer, she benefitted tremendously from the services provided through the Centre.
“My radiation was most days for six-and-a-half weeks. I lived at CancerCare Manitoba during that time. And every day I came into the Centre,” says Lisa.
Lisa visited the resource centre after treatments or following a counselling session. It was here through the books available in the cancer library she learned to meditate. The Centre was a safe place for Lisa, offering her healing.
“If I was down, it was a place I knew I could visit if I knew I was going to have a tear. It was a place even if I wasn’t necessarily reading, I could sit down with a cookie and take a second breath before I went back to the real world. A little bit of a haven,” Lisa reflects.
The information and services provided through the resource centre are diverse and only possible because of your continued commitment to improving the lives of patients.
“Patients and their families can look through the cancer library and find information on different types of cancer, treatment and cancer-related issues such as managing nutrition, fatigue and coping with the emotional impact of cancer,” explains Lorena Gerl, CancerCare Manitoba’s Program Leader for Patient and Family Support Services.
The Centre also has information on helpful resources such as counselling services for patients and their family members, dietitians, cancer support groups, home care and so much more. On most treatment days Lisa was accompanied by her mom, Lea. While waiting for her daughter to finish her counselling sessions, Lea would visit the Centre. She found coping literature she could share with extended family members and Lisa.
Your support of the PFRC positively impacts cancer patients and families in many ways.
Without the funding provided each year, the Centre would not be able to provide patients with the vital resources needed to gain a better understanding of their disease and make informed decisions. This contributes immensely to their overall peace of mind during one of the hardest times in their lives.
Lisa, her mom and many other patients like her are so fortunate for your ongoing generosity.
For more information on the programs and services offered through the Patient and Family Resource Centre, please call 204-787-4357 or toll-free at 1-866-561-1026 or visit the Patient and Family Resource Centre page on CancerCare Manitoba’s website.
