Cancer Support Center, Retreats, Support Groups, Sunstone in Tucson Arizona

Leadership Message

Hello,

Vacation time is certainly here—our wonderful winter visitor volunteers have left, our staff is making their own plans for a break, and our minds and hearts begin to turn to the idea of going to another place long before we actually get in a car or on a plane—particularly these days with the cost of gas!

I’ve thought a good deal about the power of the concept of place in recent weeks. There’s the idea, reflected on a map, the concept in one’s head, and there is the actual physical place. Emotions get attached to a specific place because of both the good and bad things that happen to us there. For example, I’ve been told by survivors who have had a hard time in cancer treatment that they don’t even like driving by the clinic or hospital where the treatment occurred—months--even years later-- there’s still the fear, the panic, the pain there for them. On the other hand, there’s the beauty of the joy and happiness we get from a place. One of our survivors, Margaret Hoeft, told a reporter recently that she thought that Sunstone was as much a concept in the heart as it was actually a literal place. That’s a wonderful idea.

The “concept” of Sunstone for all of our survivors, we hope, is one of feeling powerful, strong, feeling as though there are options for treating the whole body, not just the physical diagnosis of cancer. It’s the feeling of community and connection when we gather at a board meeting, a support group or a memorial service. It’s the sense that we are more than the cancer, more than the diagnosis, and that there is strength in feeling so, even when we need a lot of support and are feeling weak and spent.

Organizationally, Sunstone is making some shifts in places. We are shrinking in some places and expanding in others. But the strength of our community, the potential in the hope we feel and the deep caring remains—regardless of where we are on the map!

Patricia Harmon, MSW
President/CEO




A newsletter of hope and connection for the Cancer Community. To receive the Sunstone Update monthly newsletter please send us an email Celebrate a Survivor or Caregiver! Give a gift certificate to Sunstone! We offer classes in yoga, healing meditation, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, & water aerobics. We also offer personal therapies in Shiatsu, massage, Reiki, Healing Touch, and Cranial Sacral, and individual nutrition consultations. Call (520) 749-1928 for more info about our gift certificate opportunities. Breast prostheses are available at our TMC and St. Mary's locations. Please call (520) 324-2840 for more information. Donations to Sunstone can now be made online! Please click here for more information. Volunteer opportunities are available at all Sunstone!! Volunteers of all ages and experience levels are welcome to join the Sunstone team. Flexible shifts are available for watering at our Healing Center and for reception greeters at all three of our locations. Please call 324-2840 for more information. Have you remembered to include Sunstone in your estate planning? Physiohelanics Sunstone's Resource Center at TMC now offers Physiohelanics, a deep energy modality that cleanses, repairs, aligns, and balances energetic structures within the body. Please call (520) 324-2840 for more information.		The Sunstone Update is a publication of the Sunstone Cancer Support Centers. It is available in print and in digital format to any member of the cancer community free of charge. Published monthly, the Sunstone Update is also available here in .html format, or you can sign up to receive the Sunstone Update email at left. JULY 2008 Leadership Message Same Great Programming, Slightly Different Name Sliding Scale Fee Policy Speakers Series Lymphedema Volunteer Highlight: James Lofquist Artisan Fair at a New Location Breakfast @ Sunstone Special Friends Event Celebration of Life Update From the Development Desk Healing Center Closing Ceremony August 8th 6:00pm at the Fountain Wish List & Opportunities Leadership Message Hello, Vacation time is certainly here—our wonderful winter visitor volunteers have left, our staff is making their own plans for a break, and our minds and hearts begin to turn to the idea of going to another place long before we actually get in a car or on a plane—particularly these days with the cost of gas! I’ve thought a good deal about the power of the concept of place in recent weeks. There’s the idea, reflected on a map, the concept in one’s head, and there is the actual physical place. Emotions get attached to a specific place because of both the good and bad things that happen to us there. For example, I’ve been told by survivors who have had a hard time in cancer treatment that they don’t even like driving by the clinic or hospital where the treatment occurred—months--even years later-- there’s still the fear, the panic, the pain there for them. On the other hand, there’s the beauty of the joy and happiness we get from a place. One of our survivors, Margaret Hoeft, told a reporter recently that she thought that Sunstone was as much a concept in the heart as it was actually a literal place. That’s a wonderful idea. The “concept” of Sunstone for all of our survivors, we hope, is one of feeling powerful, strong, feeling as though there are options for treating the whole body, not just the physical diagnosis of cancer. It’s the feeling of community and connection when we gather at a board meeting, a support group or a memorial service. It’s the sense that we are more than the cancer, more than the diagnosis, and that there is strength in feeling so, even when we need a lot of support and are feeling weak and spent. Organizationally, Sunstone is making some shifts in places. We are shrinking in some places and expanding in others. But the strength of our community, the potential in the hope we feel and the deep caring remains—regardless of where we are on the map! Patricia Harmon, MSW President/CEO to top Same Great Programming, Slightly Different Name: One-Day Retreats Renamed One-Day Workshops A few months ago, Sunstone announced that the Retreats Program was to be discontinued, which embodied the three-day weekend retreats. The one-day retreats that made up the bulk of the attendance and the retreats offerings, however, have been renamed one-day workshops and are continuing to be held at the Northeast location’s Mind-Body Center. These one-day retreats have always had great attendance, so we’ve been surprised to see that attendance drop for the exact same program under a slightly different name. We want to address any possible confusion and assure you that these wonderful one-day workshops are continuing uninterrupted, and we’d love to see you there again, taking advantage of the unique and exceptional experience these workshops bring. These workshops offer many life tools and insights to carry with you and use during and long after treatment. They are rich in content, still retreat-like in structure and setting, and rejuvenating and enlightening due to experienced facilitators and successful programming. You can view the 2008 schedule on our Web site, in the monthly Newsletter, as part of our Sunstone Speaks monthly eblast, Outreach eblasts, and in the Quarterly Outreach Brochure. If you have any questions about these workshops, please call Margo at (520) 694-1855. To register for a workshop, please call (520) 694-1812. All one-day workshops are $40 and include lunch and materials. to top Sliding Scale Fee Policy It is the goal of Sunstone to provide services to cancer survivors and their loved ones at a nominal fee. We would like those who are in need to be able to take advantage of our services. To do this, we have implemented a sliding scale fee for our personal touch therapies. Although our therapies are offered at a very low rate of $35 per session, we can offer a sliding scale to survivors. We do place an emphasis on those in treatment and try to provide a fee that is affordable and will enable you to receive the treatment you need. Once out of treatment, if your financial situation is still unstable we can provide a sliding scale, but just not quite as low. We ask our clients to please increase their payment as they are able. This will enable us to always take care of those in treatment and be able to continue providing this service to all our clients. If you have been paying a very nominal fee for several years, you may get a letter requesting that you increase your fee. To request a reduced rate, please call Margo DeLong at 694-1855. Our receptionists are unable to do this for you. All of our movement classes are $5.00 each, or you can buy a passport at $25 for six classes. We do not have a sliding scale for our movement classes. Thank you for your support of our policies. to top Speakers Series We will be offering our Speakers Series starting back in August. We have two wonderful speakers lined up for August and September. In August, we will be hosting Gail Riggs, MA, CHES, from the University of Arizona Arthritis Center. Her topic will be Improving Patient Communication with a Clinician. She will provide valuable information on the five most important things you can do to get better healthcare. She will be speaking on Thursday, August 21st from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the Arizona Cancer Center. In September, we will host Dr. Lise Alschuler, who is a physician of Naturopathic Medicine. If you don’t know about Naturopathic medicine, or if you’ve always wanted to learn more, please come hear Dr. Alschuler and get your questions answered. She will be presenting on Tuesday, September 9th, 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Arizona Cancer Center. To register for these talks, please call 694-1812. Please watch for the Outreach Brochure to learn more about these two speakers. If you would like to suggest a topic that interests you and others, please call Margo at 694-1855. to top Lymphedema Lymphedema can prove to be a real problem for people, but there is treatment, and there are even some things you can do to help prevent its onset. Lymphedema is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in the interstitial tissue that causes swelling, mostly in the arm(s) and/or leg(s), and sometimes in other parts of the body. This condition can develop when lymph vessels are damaged, lymph nodes removed (secondary), or when the lymphatic vessels are missing or impaired (primary). If a cancer survivor develops lymphedema, it will most likely be secondary or acquired lymphedema. Secondary lymphedema can develop immediately post-operatively, or weeks, months, and even years later. Signs and symptoms to watch for include a full sensation in the limb(s); skin feeling tight; decreased flexibility in the hand, wrist, or ankle; difficulty fitting into clothing in one specific area; or ring/wristwatch/bracelet tightness. If you have persistent swelling, you should seek immediate medical advice--early diagnosis and treatment improve both the prognosis and the condition. There are different treatments depending on the cause and severity. Manual lymphatic drainage is one treatment that is used often. Professionals such as occupational and physical therapists can attend special training to become certified in manual lymphatic drainage. If you have this condition and need information on locally trained professionals, you may call Caitlin Glass at 324-1907 or Margo Delong at 694-1855. Andrea Morkin, who is certified in manual lymph drainage and has fifteen years experience, will be speaking about lymphedema treatment and prevention, and will share some techniques you can do at home to help care for this condition. She will be speaking on August 11th at 10 am at the Sunstone Resource Center at TMC. RSVP is required, so please call 694-1812 to register. When the announcement was made that the Healing Center would be sold, it was decided we would no longer provide Saturday therapies at this location. We had been providing Reiki and Healing Touch on Saturdays, and we had an incredible group of Volunteer Reiki and Healing Touch practitioners who committed their time to Sunstone and our clients. We would like to give a special thank you to these practitioners. We feel truly blessed to have had you for so long and are thankful that you so willingly gave your time to help others. We will miss these practitioners, but they remain a part of our Sunstone family! to top Volunteer Highlight: James Lofquist James has been volunteering with Sunstone for one year. He has been in many volunteer roles. Currently, he is the Monday morning volunteer receptionist at UMC and teaches Tai Chi on Tuesdays at UMC. He has also been a retreat assistant at many retreats, helped at special events, volunteered in our Sunstone DVD, has written a song for Sunstone, and has always been willing to fill in at the reception desk or take on any other tasks when asked! James has been practicing Tai Chi for 40 years and is a Si Fu! James loves music and plays the guitar. He also enjoys camping and snow skiing. James is active in helping manage a drug and alcohol recovery program for men. James is well rounded and loves everything he does! We feel very fortunate to have him as one of our wonderful volunteers. to top Artisan Fair at a New Location Mark your calendars for Sunstone’s 6th annual Artisan Fair, which will be held on the grounds of the TMC Cancer Center (2625 N. Craycroft) on Saturday & Sunday, October 4th & 5th, 2008. We are looking forward to over 70 artists on hand to show off and sell their beautiful designs to help support Sunstone’s programs and services. This year’s chair, Dan Douglass, is planning to contract with a variety of food vendors to add to the festivities. Plan to do your holiday shopping and join us at this year’s Sunstone Artisan Fair. Volunteers, please contact the Volunteer line to participate: (520) 324-3559. Artists, please contact Joan Ardern to participate: (520) 749-1928 jardern@sunstonehealing.org. to top Breakfast @ Sunstone Future Dates: Third Wednesday of the month July 16, 2008 at 8 am August 20, 2008 at 8 am September 17, 2008 at 8 am Please RSVP to 749-1928 the Monday prior to the scheduled Breakfast. to top Special Friends Event For our major donors and special Sunstone “Friends,” there will be a special presentation by Dr. Lana Holstein on Wednesday, September 24, 2008. Dr. Holstein’s topic will be Sexuality & Vitality after Cancer. This special event will be held in the Mind Body Center from 7:00 pm until 9:00 pm. Please note this Friends event is an evening event. If you are interested in attending a “Friends” event please contact Joan Ardern at 749-1928 Ext. 114 to learn more about becoming a Friend of Sunstone. to top Celebration of Life Update The 2008 Celebration of Life event was a festive affair. Thanks to our many generous business contributors, we had a beautiful selection of silent auction items. We are proud to report that every item sold, several for more than their retail value. With an attendance of just 175 people, we managed to clear a profit of $39,700. We have had our committee wrap-up meeting, and have had the opportunity to visit several new sites for the 2009 event. Our goal is to minimize our expenses and maximize our fundraising for 2009. Therefore, we have chosen the Skyline Country Club for next year’s Celebration of Life event – Mark your calendars – Saturday, February 21, 2009. to top From the Development Desk As you all know by now, Sunstone is selling the healing center on Woodland Road. I want all of our volunteers, survivors, and donors to know it is “business as usual.” It is Sunstone’s goal to keep all of our resource sites operational; however, to do this we need your support. Many of you have responded to our recent spring request letter. Thank you! It is my goal as the Development Coordinator at Sunstone to make sure you, our survivor and donor, will always have Sunstone here for your support. Therefore, you can expect that I will keep you posted on how we are doing in development, and where I need your help. Thanks for all you do for Sunstone Cancer Support Centers. Joan Ardern to top Healing Center Closing Ceremony August 8th, 6:00pm at the Fountain Transitions: A Ceremony of Contemplation and Celebration The Sunstone Cancer Support Centers has a contract of sale on the Healing Center property and completion of that contract is anticipated on August 21. Programs and services will continue at the Mind Body Center, which is on a separate plot of land not included in the sale. The community is invited to come together for a celebration and remembrance of our healing times on this site, and to transition and bless both sites. to top Wish List & Opportunities If you have any of the items listed below, or are willing to purchase them for us, please call (520) 749-1928. Five Portable DVD players with 12 to 15" screens for the Tucson Resource sites Two small Refrigerators - for the Northwest and Yuma Resource sites CD's with calming music for reception areas Two tall hat trees with lots of hooks Remember.... Other opportunities to give include books for our resource libraries. Book plates (which will be engraved to your liking) are $25.00 each, and we'll purchase the books on our library list. Please consider being a volunteer as well. We need volunteers to help with the cancer retreat preparation and reception. Program hosts, receptionists, gardeners and drivers are needed. We also need volunteers to assist patients fit wigs at our new resource center area at St. Mary's. Training and orientation is provided prior to your assignment. to top
HOME \| ABOUT SUNSTONE \| CANCER DAY PROGRAMS \| CANCER SUPPORT & OUTREACH TOUCH THERAPY \| CALENDAR \| TO HELP \| CONTACT Contents of this web site ©2004 Sunstone Cancer Support Centers. All rights reserved. 2545 N. Woodland Road • Tucson, AZ 85749 • 520-749-1928 • Fax 520-749-2456