Executive Director Desk
|
You made a difference, you spread the word, and you met the November GiveMN  challenge and still gave more in your year-end gifts. The results were phenomenal: the November--December fundraising efforts resulted in three times the number of donations historically given at year-end. I am heartened by this show of confidence and the sheer number of people who want to make Gilda's Club Twin Cities happen. Thank you all, contributors, volunteers, board members and MRC.
We now have the energy and the momentum for the challenges ahead; in 2010 we will be launching the capital campaign with a goal of raising over 1.5 million dollars--and a dream of opening the clubhouse doors by year-end. We will be calling on each of you again to help make this a reality. If there is someone in your circle of friends, family or your professional network that we should be talking to please contact me at 651-295-1113 or Michelle@GildasClubTwinCities.org
You can also help by volunteering--we are recruiting members for the following committees: - Capital Campaign
- Fundraising Development
- Golf Event Committee
Let's make this dream a reality this year!
|
New Board Member Welcome
|
Jeff Dankey Director-at-Large.
When asked why he accepted the invitation
to serve on the
Gilda's Club Twin Cities board Jeff said, "I am passionate about helping
to establish a cancer support community that will provide the much
needed
social and emotional support to people whose lives have been touched by
cancer.
My entire family could have used a resource like this when my sister in
Massachusetts
was diagnosed with cancer."
Jeff is a VP at JE3, a medical device
company, for "Drop Foot" condition. You can reach him at info@GildasClubTwinCities.org
|
Fundraising for Gilda's Club Twin Cities With
Intelligent Nutrients Feb 28th
|
This will be a memorable event, a one-day fundraiser put on for Gilda's Club Twin Cities by
Intelligent Nutrients, Horst Rechelbacher and Brad
Schlaeger
at the
Accolades Salon at Intelligent Nutrients
on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.
-
More than 20 cosmetologists will do haircuts, hand treatments, blowouts, chair massages
and hand massages
 - Product samples will be given out
- A Gilda's Club room where you can watch the GCTC video, hear personal stories from people who have lived with cancer and learn why they feel there is such a strong need for a Gilda's Club in the Twin Cities.
You won't want to miss this exciting day so mark your calendars and watch for your invitation with all of the details coming soon to your email address.
|
In My Own Words
|
In
past issues you have read about people whose lives have been impacted by cancer
and the differences their involvement with a Gilda's Club has made for them.Today we bring you the experiences of a GCTC volunteer and member of the ambassador
speakers committee who turned to the Wellness Community (the Gilda's Club newly
merged partner and an affiliate of the Cancer Support Community) for support.
I'm Kathy Pfaendtner, back in the beginning of 2007 I was focused like so
many of us, on how I could lose 10 or 20 pounds and feel good in my bathing
suit during the following summer. I never could have imagined the year that
actually was in store for my family and me.
In early April of 2007, I
was diagnosed with Stage IIA invasive ductal carcinoma in the right breast. I
had a mastectomy and 16 lymph nodes removed. Thankfully, the cancer had not
spread to the nodes. Now in survival mode, my quest for a better look in a
bathing suit was put on hold.
One source of great
emotional support for my family and me came from an  unassuming, newly constructed
building, which I'd driven past hundreds of times in my suburban Cincinnati
neighborhood but never thought about. It turned out that it was The Wellness Community, the very
organization that Gilda Radner discovered during her battle with ovarian cancer
almost two decades earlier in California.
After the first meeting with
my breast surgeon post-diagnosis, my husband and I didn't want to go home
immediately but we didn't know what else we should do. Then
I remembered The Wellness Community and thought a visit would be an
obvious next step to take. It was after normal business hours, the doors were
open and a friendly receptionist was sitting just inside the door to welcome
us.
My husband and I were still
feeling raw from our talk with the breast surgeon, but we only had to mention
to the receptionist "we were new at this" and asked her to recommend some place
to start to gather information and support. This woman, who I think was a
volunteer, was extremely sensitive to our situation while offering us
information that would prove to be beneficial to us as I went through surgery
and chemo.
I scheduled my surgery for the end of April and began
chemotherapy in early June on the first day of summer break for the kids. After
the second round of chemo I began losing what was left of the hair on my
preemptively-shaven head.
Chemo was awful, but I
maintained a positive attitude throughout in large part because of the enormous
range of services, groups and classes offered by the Wellness Community of
Cincinnati, Ohio. We took advantage of these programs as a family.
The wonderful thing about
the Wellness Community is right from the start, when you walk in the door there
is an overall welcoming feeling you just know you can let your guard down;
you can trust them; you don't have to explain yourself; it's a shared experience. My husband
and children felt this as well. We had family therapy and age
appropriate counseling for each of the kids. What I liked is being able to do
all of this at once--the kids were in good hands and getting their counseling
or attending arts and crafts, and we were in our support group with
people who knew what we were going through.
 I also took advantage of the
yoga classes, which considered the physical limitations of the participants,
and cooking classes focused on healing nutrition.
Then the next chapter of my
life began. Two weeks after my last surgery we moved to Minneapolis. I
was excited about the move and assumed being so close to the Mayo Clinic there
must be something like the Wellness Community in Minneapolis. What I found was
there was not very much in the way of support. I did join a group that met
once a month but that didn't work for me. For a group to be helpful it's
members need to meet often to establish and maintain comfort and trust with the
other members. So I started my own group, which met every other week. That
worked for a while but we didn't have a facilitator so it wasn't as helpful as
it could have been.
When Gilda Radner was
diagnosed, she was quoted as saying, "Having cancer gave me a membership in an
elite club that I'd rather not belong to." As with membership in any small specialized club, its
members become privy to very specific perspectives that non-members would have
difficulty understanding simply because of a lack of shared experience.
And so, I guess what I would
want you to take away from my story is that although my family and I received
great support from family and friends during my illness, it was the shared
experiences of the people at The Wellness Community that gave me the emotional
and social support that is essential for healing the whole person-ME.
Let's make sure there is a Twin Cities Gilda's
clubhouse where Minnesotans can have the same support and shared experience
that I enjoyed through The Wellness Community of Cincinnati, Ohio.
|
|
The Knitting Connection |
"On behalf of GCTC, the First Thursdays Knitting Club, a local knitting group founded by
Mary Taylor, Renay Leone, Eva Stevens and Kim Bowden, is reaching out to Twin
Cities knitters for their help in making chemo caps and shawls." This club has
a goal to have a large supply of handmade chemo hats and shawls ready for the men,
women and children who will be GCTC's future members. They are appealing to
knitting groups and individuals to join the effort.
What
could be more rewarding than sharing your creativity to craft 
a
comforting, warm cap or shawl for a prospective GCTC member undergoing chemo?
This club has developed a terrific brochure with a
special treat to get you started--an original chemo hat pattern for you to use designed by Nicky Epstein, the
world-famous knitting designer. Click here to download a copy of the brochure with the design and a handy list of
web links to other free patterns. If you have questions about knitting the cap
contact Mary Taylor at: maryp55124@yahoo.com
Hallie's
Knit Wits in Andover has stepped up
to the challenge; members Hallie Foley, Marni Fonder, Marilyn Olmstead, Kathy
Palmquist, Barb Lilledahl, Carol Palashewski, and Marilyn Lilledahl are
knitting the Nicky Epstein chemo hat design for Gilda's Club Twin Cities.
When you or your group are ready to drop off finished
goods please contact Carrie Puterbaugh at: carrie.puterbaugh@gildasclubtwincities.org
to make arrangements.
|
Come On. Get Involved.
|
As Gilda might have said, "So what are you waiting for?" With a philosophy and program unlike any other resource in Minnesota, Gilda's Club Twin Cities will fill an important gap in cancer care and touch thousands of people living with cancer today.
Here are ways you can help:
Make a personal donation every dollar given will bring us closer to opening our doors. Click here to donate
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources
|
 Frauenshuh
Cancer Center at Park Nicollet
A cancer diagnosis can bring uncertainty and stress
not only to patients, but also to families and friends. Frauenshuh Cancer
Center sponsors a variety of support and educational programs to help guide you
and your and loved ones through difficult times.
Classes and Groups
Cancer Support and Education Programs
All groups are free and ongoing; no registration is
required. However, registration is required for all classes.To register, or for
more information, call 952-993-5700.
Additional details about specific classes and groups,
including times and locations, are available online at:
Park Nicollet Cancer Support
________________________
Well Within is a Wellness Resource Center
Created to assist and encourage people in the midst of a health
challenge who are seeking wellness and balance within their lives. A variety of
workshops, support groups and other integrative healing experiences are offered
that support the body's innate ability to heal.
Minimal or no cost.
Well Within Integrative Healing Cancer Support Group for
Women Cost: Free
1st and 3rd Tuesdays each month: 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Mind/ Body Practices Support
Group, facilitated by Jane
Klein, RN and Mary Treacy O'Keefe
Some Time
for Sharing, facilitated by Cami Smalley,
2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month: 2:00-3:30 p.m.
1784 LaCrosse Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55119
651-451-3113
For more information click on:
http://www.wellwithin.org/ _______________________
Youth
Grief Services A Community Outreach Program of Fairview
Ridges Hospital
Youth Grief Services offers a
range of support and education services for grieving children and for the
adults who care for them. Children and teens benefit from being with kids their own age who have
also experienced the death of a loved one. They share the common experience of
loss as well as the changes they have had to face after a loved one dies.
As a community service of Fairview
Health Services, all services are offered free of charge.
Fairview Ridges Hospital 201 East Nicollet Blvd Burnsville MN 55337 for more information click here
_______________________
Kundalini Yoga Class
An
open invitation from Erika Peterson, GCTC volunteer:
Anyone living with cancer, including families and
friends, can attend a FREE weekly, restorative Kundalini Yoga and Meditation
class, every Sunday. This is your opportunity to take part in a class
that will eventually become part of the calendar of activities at
Gilda's Club Twin Cities.
Sundays
5:00-6:00 p.m.
New Location
The Penny George Institute for Health and Healing,
2833 Chicago Avenue Minneapolis MN, 612-940-6510.
|
|
Save the Date
|
|
|
Monday, July 26, 2010
Minneapolis Golf Club
Third Annual
Roseanne Roseannadanna Golf Benefit
|
Happy Valentine's Day
|
|
|
|
|
