Complemetary Therapies are offered through Sunstone at the following locations.

Sunstone Healing Center
2545 N. Woodland Road
Tucson, AZ 85749
520/749-1928

Sunstone Resource Center at TMC
2625 N. Craycroft, Ste., 101
Tucson, AZ 85712
520/324-2840

Sunstone Resource Center at NMC
6500 N. La Cholla Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85741
520/469-8342

Check the Sunstone Calendar for dates and times of of classes and workshops. Call ahead to reserve a space. For individual therapies, call the location to make an appointment.

Cancer Support Goes Beyond the Doctor’s Door

By Carrie Stusse
Former Retreat Services Coordinator and Managing Editor

My physician found a lump in my left breast a year ago. I was 32 years old at the time. I was asked to return in two weeks to have it examined again. During those two weeks, my imagination ran rampant considering every possible outcome. It must be cancer. I’ll have to have chemotherapy. I’ll lose all of my hair. Maybe I’ll just need a lumpectomy and some radiation. What if they suggest a masectomy? Does my insurance cover reconstructive surgery? I was fortunate to discover that it was only a small cyst, but I had reason to be concerned. In 1992, my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

My grandmother’s treatment consisted of a lumpectomy followed by doses of radiation. As a teenager, I believed a cancer diagnosis equated to being terminally ill--there was no hope for recovery. Much to my relief, I was wrong. After her treatment was complete, she was cured. Grandma wasn’t known to us as a cancer survivor. She was just Grandma. There weren’t any concerns about a recurrence--the doctors had gotten the entire tumor. There weren’t any discussions about connecting with a support group. There weren’t any discussions about a customized follow-up regarding her future health care and health concerns. Twelve years later, colon cancer took her life.

The American Cancer Society estimates that during 2005, there will be 1,372,910 people diagnosed with cancer. With these statistics, it would be sheer luck that any of us would not know the devastation of a cancer diagnosis--that of a friend, a family member, a colleague, or even our own. It seems that cancer has touched all of us in some way.

As a society, we’ve come a long way since my grandmother had her first bout with cancer. In my own cancer scare, I had the privilege to be working for an organization that offers support to people touched by cancer, Sunstone Cancer Support Centers. I continue to work there today. Studies of complementary therapies have had remarkable results. According to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, acupuncture has been shown to reduce the symptoms of nausea associated with chemotherapy, and Tai Chi and Qi Gong have been shown to boost the immune system. There are 12 support groups offered by Sunstone Cancer Support Centers, not only for cancer survivors, but also for their friends, family, partners, and caregivers. If a cancer diagnosis should be in my future, I’m glad to know that I have a place to turn to for compassion, understanding, and a chance to supplement the medical treatment with therapies to heal not just my body, but also my mind and spirit.

On November 7, 2005 the Institute of Medicine released a study calling upon physicians and oncologists “to create a ‘survivorship plan’ ”. Their plan includes providing patients with a summary of guidelines for their drug and radiation treatments, a discussion of possible side effects associated with these treatments, and a discussion of preventing a recurrence. However, this plan focuses merely on the physical aspects. There is little, if any, emphasis on the emotional and psychological effects associated with this potentially deadly diagnosis. There are many resources available nationwide that can supplement this “survivorship plan” with an approach that includes the healing of the body, the mind, and the spirit as a whole. And those resources may be closer than you think. I found my own resources available right here, in Tucson, Arizona. From the day of diagnosis, you are a survivor. Be an advocate for your own health and well-being. Remember to nourish your mind and spirit, while your body fights the battle of its lifetime.

Sunstone Cancer Support Centers
2545 N. Woodland Rd.
Tucson, AZ 85749
(520) 749-1928
www.sunstonehealing.org

Carrie Stusse is the former retreat services coordinator and managing editor for Sunstone Cancer Support Centers.