JULY 1, 2008

The Wellness Center

Yesterday, I took some time out to go to The Wellness Center in Phoenix (please see previous post if you don't know what this is). I was a little aprehensive, b/c you just don't know what to expect. Well, they were VERY nice to me there. I walked in without an appointment and with really no expectations at all. There was a gentleman, Warren (I think that's his name - might be Harold), who greeted me, introduced me to a few people, and told me a little about TWC. The center is located in this gorgeous turn-of-the-century (1908) house with amazing architecture and details, and is very homey and friendly. Normally, the center asks that people attend a Newcomer Orientation on Tuesdays, but as that conflicts with my chemo schedule, Warren was kind enough to give me a one-on-one orientation while I was there. On top of that, I was able to interview with one of the facilitators of the group meetings, and am now signed up to participate in a weekly group session on Mondays from 1-3. It's a group consisting of all varieties of cancers, ages, etc., and is basically a place for us to go to get support from others who are dealing with the same battles. I am excited about this, b/c this particular group that I am in is led by the same woman who leads the colorectal support group on the third Wednesday of each month. I am hoping to take part in that group, as well as a 20s/30s cancer patient group. It was a fabulous experience, and I can't wait until Monday to see what my group is like.

If you have a Wellness Center in your city, I encourage you to stop by and volunteer your time. It's a wonderful program that is free of charge to those who take part in it. And, it's an amazing non-medical resource for patients and their caregivers. I will let you know how things go next week.

Well, off I go to start round two of chemo. Will post later or tomorrow with how I do. (sigh)