It's Not Too Late to Buy Your
Toast to Hope Tickets
This event will be held on November 6th at Skyline Country Club.
This will be a black tie (admired but not required) affair, ladies
and gentlemen, so get out your tuxedos and gowns, dust off your
tiaras and prepare for the festivities! Entertainment will include
vignettes from The Rogue Theatre and jazz by the Friends of Sunstone.
Also on the menu: wine tasting and superb cuisine! Tickets are $150
per person. To purchase tickets, call Anne Clark at 520-749-1928.
And don't forget the Pick A Prize raffle! For more information about
our fabulous gift packages to be raffled off on November 6th, get
on our Web site and check it out! Even if you can't make it to the
event, you can still win.
to top
News and Events
Sunstone's calendar is now available
for download and print.
Simply click
here for the
November / December 2009 calendar
in pdf format.

Caregiver Gathering
It can be very difficult for caregivers
to take time for themselves. It is very easy to get caught up in the
demanding routine of making appointments, doing chores, driving back
and forth to treatments, and daily care. Caregivers often forget about
their own needs, or put them on the back burner. It's also easy to
become isolated and cut off from other people, and Sunstone is looking
for ways to help. So, on the third Tuesday of each month, over the
lunch hour, we offer a gathering just for individuals who are caregivers.
This is an informal group where we will share information with one
another, provide support, and just be together.
The next gathering will be held at TMC
on November 17th from Noon to 1:30 p.m. In December we will meet on
the 15th. Please take some time for yourself, bring a bag lunch, and
join us!
Yuma News
Our Ask The Doctor About Naturopathic
Medicine, presented in Spanish, was a big success. We had 33 people
in attendance at Dr. Margarita Hernandez Guzman's program on September
24th. Dr. Hernandez Guzman specializes in helping cancer survivors
with naturopathic approaches as part of their treatment. We congratulate
her on recently opening her own clinic in the Foothills area of Yuma,
and our supporters look forward to her next presentation!
The Yuma Resource Center and Francisca
Montalvo, one of our volunteers, were nominated for the Heart of Yuma
award, which was presented by the Yuma Community Foundation on October
27th. Sunstone was nominated as Outstanding Nonprofit and Francisca
was nominated as Yuma's Outstanding Volunteer. All nominees of the
Heart of Yuma receive a beautiful gift, and enjoy a wonderful evening
of recognition, fun, and delicious desserts at Yuma's Civic Center.
We will be welcoming new visitors to
the Resource Center on December 5th with our Saturday morning Sunstone
Sampler. We will introduce newcomers, winter visitors and permanent
Yuma residents to Sunstone's various programs and services, and let
people sample some personal touch therapies from our practitioners.
Don't Dread the Holidays
I remember a very depressing Christmas when I was
a little girl. My mother was hit with an attack of intense pain from
gall stones. I remember her sister, my Aunt Pat, came to our house
and helped my brothers and me with meals, etc. I have such a dark,
sad memory of that particular Christmas, because we were used to the
traditional ones with a big tree, lots of presents, great food, and
family visits. Poor Mom lay in her bed in pain, and I just wanted
to celebrate Santa's arrival! These same expectations at holiday time
can cause us stress and anxiety instead of joy.
Many experts have suggestions for getting through
the holidays, and some are specific to cancer survivors.
1) Recognize your limits, and stick by them.
Your loved ones will understand if you cannot make all of the social
gatherings. You might have to prioritize what, where, and with whom.
2) Shop online. What an easy way
to deal with gift giving. You can avoid crowds and still get the job
done. And don't forget how wonderful gift cards are.
3) If you want to decorate, recruit help.
Family, friends, or a neighbor can help you so you can reserve your
energy.
4) Don't be too proud to cater instead of
cooking. Some supermarkets prepare the complete holiday meal,
deliver it, and charge reasonable prices.
5) Give a donation to your favorite charity.
Your generosity to a homeless shelter or food bank can give you a
great sense of happiness and fulfillment.
6) If this is your first holiday dealing with
cancer, find enjoyment wherever you can today, and don't
dwell on previous celebrations when you had perfect health.
7) Embrace your emotions. Having
cancer can make you feel depressed, fearful, and isolated. Recognize
that these feelings are normal, and don't force yourself to be happy
just because it's a holiday.
8) Celebrate life. You know you are
a cancer survivor as soon as you receive your diagnosis. You are living
with cancer each day, and you still can find hope and joy in your
relationships, your faith, and your plans for a healthier future.
Mary Monk, Yuma Resource Center
to top
Healing Touch
Healing Touch is a biofield therapy,
an energy-based approach to health and healing. The non-invasive technique
employs touch to clear, energize, and balance the human and environmental
energy fields to promote physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual
healing.
We are deeply appreciative of our Healing
Touch volunteers who provide this touch therapy to survivors and their
loved ones at our Resource Centers and in the infusion room where
survivors are receiving chemotherapy. We've recently clarified our
policy for Healing Touch volunteers.
Volunteers are welcome who are at the
Apprentice Level of Healing Touch (having completed Level IV), actively
pursuing certification, and receiving supervision by a mentor.
Please consider this wonderful modality
as part of your healing plan.
to top
Cancer CAREx
Sunstone Cancer Support Centers is in
partnership with FitCenter, a speciality fitness center, to provide
an exercise rehabilitation program for cancer survivors when their
treatment is complete.
The objective of CAREx is for survivors
to get to know their bodies after diagnosis and treatment and build
endurance, strength and confidence. Each participant begins with a
one-hour fitness assessment/personal training session to establish
baseline health and fitness status, review treatment history, and
define personalized goals. A customized exercise prescription is then
designed including cardio conditioning, strength building, core conditioning,
flexibility, and joint range of motion. The trainer provides personalized
instruction, supervision, and motivation during each small group session.
For more information, call the FitCenter
at (520) 571-7000.
to
top
Volunteer
Volunteer Spotlight
Penny Offholter––You may see her smiling
face at the TMC reception desk or filling in at our NE center, or––on
a Saturday––managing the wig washing activites. No matter
where she is, Penny wears many hats for Sunstone.
Penny moved to Tucson from Northern California in January 2007. Being
new to an area is always a challenge, but Penny knew that she wanted
to get involved with something, she just didn't know what. Then a
friend who was a cancer survivor told her about Sunstone and the many
services she'd utilized, and suggested that Penny l volunteer for
Sunstone.
Having a daughter-in-law and a brother who had battled cancer and
survived, she thought working with Sunstone just might be a good way
to give back. She attended Breakfast at Sunstone and has been actively
involved with us ever since as a resource center receptionist. In
addition, Penny was recently asked to be the wig washing coordinator,
a position she graciously accepted.
In her spare time (and we don't leave her much!), Penny enjoys quilting,
gourd art, stained glass crafts, and painting. As with all of our
volunteers, we are truly blessed to have her as such an integral part
of the Sunstone organization.
Volunteer Holiday Party
The holidays are just around the corner and it's the
time of year for reflection on all that has been accomplished and
thank all who have helped us along the way. And in that spirit, we
will be hosting a Volunteer Holiday Party on December 8th at our NE
resource center to say thank you to our volunteers for all they have
given us throughout the year. They are truly amazing people and our
heartfelt thanks goes out to each and every one of them.
to
top
Thank You to Our Donors
| Adeline
Baker
Arizona Oncology Associates
Deborah Barajas
Stephanie Bianchi
Robert & Marilyn Billups
Christa Bol
Terry Branz
Colleen Carlson
Laurie Chen
Sharon Combo
David & Marcia Davenport
Beverly Davies
Debra Davis
Terry Lee Davis
Nelson & Shannon Dexter
Kathleen Donnelly-Welsh
James & Faria Dretler
Sandra Ellis
Thomas Figueroa
Marilyn & John Gourley
Ruth Hammell
Mary Harrington
Vade & Thomas Henderson
Alice Hinton
Margaret Hoeft
Marlene & Douglas Hunt
Barbara James
Christina Johnson
Richard Jones
Lisa Koltun |
Nancy Lanham
Patty & Robert LeCompte
Elaine Litvack
Gloria & Bob MacDonald
Ronald & Carol Menier
Mary & Derek Monk
Nadzieja Family Trust
Herman Nickel
Glenda Parrott
Judith & Gene Paul
Pima County Ecap
Aida Quiroz
Jose Riojas
Dolores Rivas
Alice Rose
Ellen Ruark
Theresa & Edward Saltzman
Constance Sarther
Jere Schultz
Deborah Selover
Andrea Simons
Elizabeth Spengler
Thomas Stefanek
Ann Stein
Marcella Thompson
Town West Design Development Inc.
Arianne Vanderklooster
Oscar & Maritza Villasenor
Gloria Wedlake
Priscilla Williams
Helga & James Withers
|
|
Thank You to Our Toast to Hope Sponsors
Arizona Oncology Associates
Jerry Cohen and Mel Zuckerman
Jim Click Automotive Team
Long Realty Cares Foundation |
to
top
Speaking of Sunstone...
On October 13th, Sunstone launched Speaking of Sunstone...,
a monthly, one-hour program that highlights our history, programs,
services, and our plans for the future! We want to make sure that
Sunstone will continue to provide hope and healing for those who are
touched by cancer for generations to come.
Please invite anyone you think would benefit from learning about Sunstone.
This is an opportunity to meet staff and volunteers, to learn about
Sunstone, and to tour our facilities. Let us share our passion about
Sunstone with you and your guest. For more information about times
and locations, please call Anne Clark at (520) 749-1928.
Save These 2009 Dates: October 13 •
November 10 • December 1
Spread the Word: Help Sunstone Grow
to
top
Sunstone Gift Certificates
If you would like to give a unique gift to someone
you care about, how about a massage, or a series of yoga classes,
or a meditation workshop? Sunstone offers all of these services to
anyone who has been touched by cancer.
You may not believe that you are included, but when we say touched
by cancer, we mean anyone who has ever been diagnosed themselves,
anyone who has had a family member or loved one diagnosed, and anyone
who has taken care of someone diagnosed with cancer.
When you really think about it, haven't we all been touched in some
way, at some time in our lives? The gift of touch or healing movement
is a wonderful way to honor that experience.
From a quality standpoint alone, our practitioners are second to
none. We say that with confidence, because staff receive audition
treatments from practitioners before they are accepted as Sunstone
volunteers. (It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!) We are
consistently in awe of the extremely high calibre of practitioners
that offer to volunteer their services at Sunstone.
Sunstone has gift certificates available at any of our centers.
to top
End-of-Year Giving
This has been a challenging year for everyone. At Sunstone, we understand
that. The economy has suffered, people have lost jobs, and 401k plans
have diminished. But cancer has not, and people continue to be diagnosed
every day. Their lives, as well as the lives of those around them,
continue to be deeply affected by the disease.
We now serve over 700 people each month; survivors, their caregivers,
their sons and daughters, their friends, and their spouses come to
Sunstone for touch therapy, for movement classes and for support.
They come to find the hope and healing that all cancer patients and
their loved ones deserve. Because we strive to serve everyone that
we possibly can, whatever their economic situation may be, at any
given time we have 100 people on our discount program, receiving services
that they would not otherwise be able to afford.
When you make your end-of-year gift this month, think about Sunstone.
More importantly, think of the woman with ovarian cancer who really
needs a massage to help with her stress, but lives on $700 a month,
and can barely afford to pay her rent. Think about the father who
has lost his medical insurance and cannot pay for his treatments,
and is using acupuncture treatment from time to time to help keep
his immune system strong.
These are the people who need us. We want to be accessible to them,
to provide them with hope and healing. We don't want our hard times
to prevent them from receiving the programs and services they need
and deserve. They are the very reason Sunstone needs your donation
this year more than ever.
to top
Wish List & Opportunities
If you have any of the items listed below, or are
willing to purchase them, please call (520) 749-1928 and ask to speak
with Lubeth Pflum at Ext. 11.