Support group forming

Dear Editor,

You are invited to an organizational meeting of a family cancer support group on Sunday Oct. 11.

The meeting will be in the fellowship hall of the Imperial United Methodist Church, 420 Holland Street or East Fifth in Imperial. The meeting is co-sponsored by the Methodist Church (sponsor Bruce Lantry), The Chase County Hospital (Lola Jones Administrator), and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Omaha Chapter (Tonya Schroeder Oncology nurse sponsor).

This first meeting will be to determine what response we get and when those involved would like to meet and how often they would like to meet. Refreshments will be served after the meeting.

The meeting is for those with cancer, those in treatment, those who have survived cancer and those caregivers and friends of anyone who has had cancer.

We will discuss what everyone would like to see in a support group and what type of topics they might like to have discussed. There are many side effects of the various treatments, some of which last long after the treatments are over so there are many things we can talk about.

As anyone who has had cancer knows, it is a very difficult time in the life of the person who has cancer, but also in the lives of family and friends as well.

It isn't easy for anyone to deal with, particularly when the person is first diagnosed with the cancer.

I was lucky enough, when first diagnosed with leukemia, to connect with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society which has a program called First Connection in which I was paired with another person who had had and who had survived the same disease that I have. I got a call from both a Nebraska leukemia survivor and one on the national level. Being able to talk to those two people helped me very much at a very difficult time in my life. The Leukemia Society also provided a telephone conference support group that spring that I was able to participate in.

I could have received the same kind of support locally had there been a live support group in my area, but there wasn't any anywhere in this southwestern part of Nebraska at that time. I decided after I had finished my course of treatment that I would like to try to change that situation by forming a support group here in Imperial, so that others with cancer might have a place where they could go to receive the same kind of support. I would encourage anyone with cancer, or involved with someone who has cancer, living in this area of the state to come to the meeting. I would also encourage those who have survived cancer to come, since those of us with cancer now need the support and hope that can be provided by those who have survived cancer.

I hope to see you at the meeting.

For more information call Bruce Lantry at (308) 882-5929 or the Methodist Church at 308 882-5127.

Bruce Lantry,

Imperial