RV Cancer Support Group and Cancer Survivorship Summit

Twenty-four members from RV Cancer Support Group attended the eighth annual Cancer Survivorship Summit, and have been doing so for the past four years. The Summit is for survivors and their caregivers across our state.

There is no cost to attend the summit. The following classes were on the summit’s schedule this year: Having Fun with Art, Tiachi, Aromatherapy, Meditation Techniques, Healing with Nature, Healing Touch, Healthy Living Activities, Good Eating During and After Treatment, Being on the Move, Caregiving, Financial and Legal Needs, Aging and Cancer, Sexual Intimacy for Women and Sexual Intimacy for Men.

Some of the speakers for the Summit were Gregory Lathrop, board-certified Holistic Nurse; Leslie Verner,  Oncology Nurse and Clinical Research Professional; Ann and Bob Player, Certified Physical Therapists and Tiachi Geriatric Research Specialists;  Jeffrey Whitridge, a Clinical Nutritionist; and Darrell “Luke” Holland, two-time survivor of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, treated at a North Carolina comprehensive cancer center in his early 20s.

In addition to panel discussions, we heard from survivors from the across the state who wanted to share their stories.

Mrs. Dorothy Pridgen, a member of our Cancer Support group, shared her story. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 1995 and multiple myeloma in 2001, Pridgen used her own stem cells for the transplant.

The RV cancer support group was organized in 2004 and continues to grow with members from New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, and Columbus counties, representing 15 different forms of cancer.

There is strong possibility that the summit will be held in Wilmington in 2016.

“Cancer survivors, perhaps more than others, more fully understand that life is about hills and valleys,  triumph and defeat, storms and sunshine and yet … and yet, they keep on keepin on!” – From The Little Book of Hope and Humor by Kathy Cawthon.

Rachel Vaughn started RV Cancer Support Group in 2004 after she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For more information about the group, call her at 910-395-5688. •