Story URL: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=189424
Story Retrieval Date: 5/24/2013 4:04:29 PM CST
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Sarah Eberspacher / MEDILL
Nancy Sell, co-founder of Here Comes the Sun, hopes the non-profit will bring cancer survivors and caregivers together in a supportive environment.
Sunny support group brightens up gloomy Saturday
by Sarah Eberspacher
Sep 27, 2011
Sarah Eberspacher / MEDILL
CJ Jelinek and daughter Vivian check out the brochures at the Here Comes the Sun tent Saturday.
Sarah Eberspacher / MEDILL
“This is why we started Here Comes the Sun,” Sell said. “So that a cancer patient can come up and say, ‘Hey I survived cancer, I’m a cancer survivor,’ and be proud.”
Sell’s late husband, Ed “Jay” Markmann was diagnosed with throat cancer (stage four) that later metastasized to his lungs and brain; he died in 2009.
The experience inspired her to combine his love of sunny days and her love of The Beatles into a mantra that became a movement. The resulting non-profit aims to connect current cancer patients and survivors, as well as family and friends acting as caregivers.
“When my husband was fighting cancer, not one person came to see him,” she said. “They sent cards – sure, they sent cards and that was nice – but that’s not the same thing as human contact.”
Providing services not just for the survivor but also the caregiver is a key component of successful support, said Mary Koludrovic, who leads a brain tumor support group through Northwestern University’s Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“Our group is open to anyone touched by a brain tumor, whether it’s a patient, caregiver, family or friend,” she said. “Cancer doesn’t just affect the patient, it affects the entire family.”
Koludrovic’s group often divides into separate rooms for survivors and caregivers, as their questions and needs are similar but different, she said.
More groups may soon be necessary to meet those needs, as the national rate of survivorship continues to increase. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new numbers in March showing that as of 2007, the number of cancer survivors in the United States had grown to 11.7 million. There were 9.8 million cancer survivors in 2001 and just 3 million in 1971.
Early detection remains critical to successfully treating cancer, and the CDC advises people to exercise regularly, eat healthily, not smoke and limit alcohol consumption to aid in prevention of certain types of cancer.
Wanda Gates, who volunteers with Here Comes the Sun, was diagnosed with stage two colon cancer in June 2010 and recently finished six months of chemotherapy. She is currently cancer-free, but she still has quarterly check-ups. Finding streamlined information during chemotherapy was one of the hardest parts, and she said that’s why support groups like Here Comes the Sun are so helpful.
“I was searching here, there, it was just overwhelming,” she said. “A group like this is great because you can get support and get information more easily - we’re already compiling the research for you.”
Awareness of what happens after a positive cancer diagnosis is important, both for patients and caregivers, said Bill Morton, Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce president, who stopped by Sell’s tent Saturday.
“My uncle died of cancer, and ever since, I’ve been aware, and I wasn’t before,” he said. “People struggling with cancer need support. They come to events like this, and they have some hope.”
