 |
 A First Hand Resource with Pal-to-Pal Support
|
|
|
|
| ProtonPals e-Newsletter |
February 2010
|
Dear
Welcome to the ProtonPals and thanks for subscribing to the monthly newsletter. Please forward the newsletter to your friends by spacing down to the end of the letter to Forward Email.
It's been a busy month for us where we started many projects and finished a few.
Foremost I'd ask that you keep our Pal's wife,Jan Capron, in your prayers. Ban wrote to his friends telling us that Jan will have to travel to Tampa this week for a procedure and if all goes well as it promises to she should be feeling much better in a few days. Ban asks that we pray for successful travel, successful surgery and that they are great witnesses for HIM. I know he'd like it if you sent him in a note.
Along with members of the Proton Center business staff I've been busy in some key areas
Education - We were able, with quite a bit of help, to get a speaker for a Houston group - Chinese Cancer Support Network. Thanks to Dr. Lee, Ryan Barrett, Dana Lee and especially to Dr. Joe Y. Wang, the group will get a world known expert in thoracic oncology and proton radiation. Dr. Wang will speak Saturday, March 6 at 2 PM to this group. Light-Salt Association This is a first for us and what's unique is that the talk will be presented in Mandarin. This opportunity came about as a result of our outreach at the Anderson Conference last September. Support - We measured the influence you have in supporting the center and your friends and acquaintances by referring them to the proton therapy center. We did this by surveying the one-on-one contact group of 23 ProtonPals. Of the nineteen who responded, we were effective in informing over 620 persons and referring over 105 men(a few women) who had proton therapy treatment. This is exclusive of the web site and newsletter email where the number contacted is much broader. In February we had 533 visitors to the site. We only surveyed about 5%(23) of the membership and I personally know some of you who made presentations to your church and organizations. Please send us an estimate of some of your contacts and personal networks. This will let us build up a more representative record for the Center. Support, Education and Results - Published an updated "My Journey" on the web site and distributed a copy of it to all the attendees at the support group meeting. Support and Outreach - Promoted the Proton Center tours and support group meetings. The February meeting was about integrative medicine and M. D. Anderson's many resources in the wellness area. Support - Continued to handle one-on-one calls this month from men who were newly diagnosed and were considering proton therapy. Some of the calls were more supportive than informational and that's our mission too. White Papers - The treatment process is always evolving and there is something in the ED side effect area that you may be interested in. Please call me or write to learn the nature of this information. The usual disclaimer applies here that I'm not a medical expert, not giving advice but providing an alert that there may be something of a new approach and if you'd like to know the nature of this information you can contact me, Tai Ly or your doctor. Remember the next tour of the Center will be on Wed. March 24 in the evening. The support group meeting coordinated by the Social Welfare Group - Sloane Caskey and Alicia Reubel is scheduled on March 25 at 1:00 - 2:30 in the first floor conference room where Laura Fletcher, Director of the Place ... of Wellness will speak. Please let us know how you're doing.
Your ProtonPals,
Joe Landry, Ban Capron and Peter Taaffe
ProtonPals
February 28, 2010
| |
|
 |
|
Convinced Proton Therapy is the Best Prostate Cancer Cure Available
Dr. Terry Lavy updates his "My Journey"
"I am selling nothing; my only reward is the satisfaction I get by passing on information about what I am convinced is the very best prostate cancer cure available. The most important things about the proton radiation treatment I received are:1) it is non-invasive (no needles, lasers or cutting 2) no hospitalization and 3) no side-effects like incontinence, impotency or need for catheters. I have updated some of the information I may have shared with you earlier. Please pass this on to anyone who may know of a person or persons just diagnosed with prostate cancer." Dr. Terry Lavy read more..
While I was standing next to Tai Ly's desk waiting to get her attention, a phone call came in from a newly diagnosed patient who had seen Dr. Terry Lavy's "My Journey" on the web site. He wanted Tai to know in no uncertain terms that Terry had told him to call. Many calls come in this way to the center. Our ProtonPals have told many friends and family about our experience. Your reviews and referrals are the leading ways patients hear about proton therapy.
Terry is a retired professor from the University of Arkansas and was busy travelling and enjoying himself when I caught up with him in Branson this week.
|
|
Proton Therapy Support Group
Complementary and Integrative Medicine
The regular Prostate Cancer Proton Therapy Support Group support group
met on Thus. Feb. 25 at 1:00 PM to hear Dr. Lorenzo Cohen speak about the
field of Integrative Medicine and about the work and programs at University of Texas M.D.
Anderson Cancer Center.There's a very active program at MDACC with a vision of "to be in the
forefront in research, education and patient care in complementary and
integrative medicine for cancer patients." Read more Integrative Medicine Program
The session was very well
attended with over 25 persons and lasted about an hour and a half. Dr. Cohen highlighted some of the over 75 programs that are offered at the "Place ... of Wellness"
with almost all of them free of charge, for example support groups, counseling,
expressive therapies like Yoga,Tai Chi along with stress relief and massage.
At the next support group meeting on March 25 at 1:00 PM, Laura N. Fletcher,
the director of the Place ... of Wellness will speak. The Place of Wellness is the
clinical side of the Integrative Medicine Program at M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center. Place...of Wellness They publish a two month program calendar that you can get at the Proton Center. These monthly programs are hosted by Sloane Caskey and Alicia Reubel they can
be contacted at Sloane Alicia
Sign up early for... Dr. Dean Ornish will be coming to Houston speak on "The Power of Personalized Lifestyle Changes" on April 12th. E-mail or call to reserve your slot. The session will fill up early. Contact: Renee Raizen - (713) 745-0549
Last year, Dr. David Serban Schreiber spoke to several hundred at the South Campus Research Building adjacent to the Proton Therapy Center.
|
|
On Their Own
Solitary Patients call on inner strength and a raft of resources
Cancer is such an isolating circumstance-people can walk you up to the door, but you're the one who's going in. This article by Jim Burnham read more highlights what some of our members who are single patients face and they may have a harder time coping with the cancer diagnosis. Usually these patients are proud of their ability to manage on their own and are self reliant but that doesn't mean it's easy.
|
|
Charting a Course for the Future
Technology propels radiation therapy to a new status: targeted therapy.
"What we're seeing with these advances and new technologies is we can
give higher doses and get better tumor control with less side effects," Dr. Cox says. "We wanted to chart a course for the future, not wait for the
future to catch up with us." Dr. Jim Cox is quoted in a CURE magazine article where he talks about targetted radiation therapy. Higher doses, better tumor control with less side effects. Read More
|
|
|
Hal Howland
One of our ProtonPals publishes another book
For immediate release:
The Friends of the Marathon Library will present Key West writer and musician Hal Howland, who will sign and read from his books After Jerusalem: A Story and Two Novellas ($25) and The Human Drummer: Thoughts on the Life Percussive ($18) and will preview his forthcoming novel Landini Cadence, on Thursday, February 25, 2010, 1:30 p.m., at Books and Coffee, St. Columba Episcopal Church, 451 52nd St. Gulf, Marathon, Florida. For more information, call 305-743-5156 or visit www.halhowland.com.
|
|
What is Twitter?
ProtonPals is Considering Tweeting
This is a second of a series of articles about keeping up to date with the news in the prostate cancer and proton therapy area. The first article last month was about using Google to send alerts to your mail box.
We're considering using Twitter as part of the ProtonPals organization. We think it will provide a link to other members, to the center and to us. Here I'm hoping it starts and fosters a way of alerting each other to social gatherings and get togethers, like movie night at RiverOaks Theater at 7:00 - join us, or dinner at the Raven Grill on Bissonnet. O alerts in times of adverse weather or power outages.
What is Twitter?Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What's happening?
According to the official Twitter FAQ(frequently asked questions), "Twitter is a community of friends and strangers from around the world sending updates about moments in their lives. Friends near or far can use Twitter to remain somewhat close while far away. Curious people can make friends. Bloggers can use it as a mini-blogging tool.
What is it used for?
Twitter is a new social networking tool that "everyone" is talking about. It made news when Robert Gibbs the president's press secretary got an account and announced it at the press conference. Seems the younger generation is all over it, like text phones.
For example it's used by my granddaughter in Tampa who let's her friends know what she's doing. My daughter in San Francisco "tweets" about her restaurant's Today's Specials or a special event after the Saints won the Superbowl. The message was about a bonus treat the Monday following the game- it was for a free coffee and beignets at the restaurant on Monday if you mentioned the note and the Saints.
Churches, Chambers of Commerce, the Red Cross and several centers in M. D. Anderson also use it. It has in some analysts views, significant commercial value because it provides alerts to the companies but also feedback on what individuals who using the services and products are thinking of. Please let me know if you think this would be useful to the patients who would like to get together in the evenings and week ends in Houston.
http://twitter.com/MDAndersonLib
http://twitter.com/MDAndersonNews
http://twitter.com/cancerwise
If you're a physician you can follow
http://twitter.com/PhysRelations
|
|
After the Prostate Cancer Diagnosis is Confirmed There's a Lot to Consider
For Wives and Partners
Here's an excellent resource which is very complete. It's written by Dana Kababik who's a
professional writer and a wife of a prostate cancer patient. She has more than 16 years of experience researching
and writing web sites, educational brochures, videos, resource guides,
newsletters, and magazines on numerous health conditions-including
prostate cancer. You can read about
her personal
experience with prostate cancer here.
"If the man you love has prostate cancer this site is for you"
Once you get the diagnosis here's how to start:- Take time to regroup
- Get a notebook
- Start gathering information from credible sources
- Get an expanding folder or file box
- Decide who you want to tell and who you don't want to tell in your family and friends circle
- Consider joining a support group
- Add your loved one's name to your church or synagogue's prayer list
|
|
Anderson Annual Report
MDACC is "A Cancer University"
MDACC is a "cancer university" - an accredited, degree-granting
institution, where undergraduate and graduate students receive degrees
with the M. D. Anderson name on their diplomas. Our undergraduate
student body grew to more than 200, all enrolled in allied health
professions training, which leads to meaningful and well-paying jobs
that are in great demand, despite the economy. We anticipate growing our
undergraduate enrollment to 300 in the next few years.
Graduate
students in our joint program with The University of Texas Health
Science Center at Houston now number more than 600, complemented by
another 1,100 clinical residents and fellows training in the
super-specialties needed to manage cancer effectively. At M. D. Anderson
another 700 postdoctoral trainees work in our research laboratories. A link to the report Winter 2010 Mendelsohn
|
About ProtonPals
Thank you for subscribing to the newsletter and using the ProtonPals web-site. You'll receive one or at most two mailings a month around mid month. In addition to the newsletter we'll also send one or two additional emails of special events or news that are of interest to the group that month. ProtonPals is a group of men who chose proton beam therapy to cure their cancer and were treated at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Proton Therapy Center in Houston, Texas. The "Pals" and their caregivers formed a network of Pals in order to: - Stay up to date with treatment cure results
- Provide support to others and Center activities
- Be informed on any side- effects
- Promote proton radiation since it's widely regarded to have a significant advantage over conventional x-rays.
- Attract and nurture more Pals who support our cause, patient-to-patient and friend-to-friend
Joe Landry, Ban Capron and Peter Taaffe
15806 Manor Square Drive
Houston, Texas 77062 - 4743
ProtonPals, Ltd.
Support ProtonPals by letting us know how you're doing. As a former patient we'd all welcome your help in getting the word out about proton radiation and how you're doing. Please donate using the Donate Icon below or mail a check made out to ProtonPals, Ltd.(we're now tax deductible) at the address above. Read more about about it on the website How to Help - Giving
ProtonPals, Ltd. is a 501 (c) (3) public charity501 (c) (c)
O
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
