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The Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center is located at our Williamson
St. Campus.
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TRINITAS COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER HOSTS NATIONAL CANCER SURVIVOR'S DAY
Annual Celebration Provides Hope and Support for Cancer Survivors
Survival of not only body, but of mind and spirit, was the theme of the
Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center's (TCCC) Survivor's Day celebration
held recently in Union, New Jersey. More than 100 people, nearly half who
were survivors and patients at the TCCC patients, attended the event.
Together, these survivors, some who have just begun medical treatment and
others who have finished treatment yet continue to attend this annual event,
celebrated life and shared their hope with one another.
TCCC staff members Jeanette Barefoot, Director of Clinical Operations, Carol
Blecher, Advanced Practice Nurse, and Medical Oncologist/Hematologist
Vincent Salerno, MD, welcomed the survivors and expressed admiration for
their perseverance.
"Today it is our privilege as healthcare professionals to honor you, the
survivors, for your strength and courage, and to recognize together, the
contributions of your families, friends and loved ones who have been with
you along the way," Ms. Barefoot said.
Sixth grade girls from Kushner Hebrew Academy in Livingston and the Jewish
Educational Center in Elizabeth created and donated "Gemstone Survivor
Trees" and "Caregiver Trees" for those who attended. Carol Blecher, APN,
discussed the meanings of these special gifts and presented a survivorship
tally that demonstrated the effectiveness of today's treatment programs.
"At Trinitas Comprehensive Cancer Center, we are dedicated to creating a
supportive atmosphere filled with friendship, hope, compassion, faith and
laughter," Ms. Blecher commented. "We continue to develop new programs to
serve our patients. In the past year, we have added support groups,
nutrition lectures and services, a complimentary therapies program that
includes aroma therapy, guided imagery, Reiki, massage, and arts and crafts,
and visits to our patients by dogs who are part of Trinitas Regional Medical Center's
Animal Assisted Activities program. On National Cancer Survivor's Day, we
celebrate the will to live of all cancer survivors as we learn from each of
them the importance of living each day to the fullest," she added.
Cancer survivors who also serve as volunteers at Trinitas provided one of
the highlights of the event when they read moving poems about cancer
survivorship. The program also included a presentation about the American
Cancer Society's Relay For Life event by Lead Radiation Therapist Doreen
Rinaldo who is the TCCC Relay for Life Team Captain.
Later during National Cancer Survivors Week, Trinitas Regional Medical Center continued its
celebration with a special guest speaker. A cancer survivor since 1993 and a
frequently sought-after inspirational speaker, Beverly Kirkhart, author of
My Healing Companion and the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Surviving
Soul, shared her personal experiences with breast cancer and the way the
illness changed her life for the better. Ms. Kirkhart suddenly faced an
unexpected detour in life when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991.
She revealed to the audience that keeping a journal helped her to make sense
of the dramatic, life-altering events that she faced, and ultimately made
her stronger. She spoke of the importance of the treatment of the mind, body
and the spirit, not just the part of the body that has cancer. Ms. Kirkhart
stressed the power of personal touch by encouraging the audience to hug
those facing cancer to remind them that they are loved and appreciated. Ms.
Kirkhart told the audience that by making a conscious effort to move forward
in her life, she discovered new ways to give back to those who had helped
her--family, friends, doctors, nurses, and her fellow support group members.
