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Innovative Radio Talk Show, 'The Group Room,' Takes Some of the Fear Out of Cancer By Brenda Eatman Aghahowa Cancer. The word uttered by one's physician is viewed as a death knell by many and brings terror to the hearts of most who hear it. Those who struggle with the disease often say they find the emotional trauma harder to deal with than the tough medical treatments. There can be isolation from friends and family, and discrimination by employers and insurers. General depression, uncertainty about the future and fear also can be the order of the day for cancer patients and survivors. But an innovative radio talk show is taking some of the fear and isolation out of cancer, helping patients and their loved ones to hope, cope and laugh again. Currently airing in 23 cities in the United States and Canada, "The Group Room" is the nation's first and only syndicated, interactive radio talk show dedicated to the discussion of the therapies, treatment and emotional well-being of cancer patients. The two-hour-long show airs Sundays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Guests always include one or two cancer patients, an oncology physician, a licensed clinical therapist and licensed oncology social workers to screen those calling in from around the country.
The show deals with every aspect of cancer, including surgeries, bone marrow transplants, recovery, research, insurance, patient-physician relationships, and much more. Panelists and those calling in offer vital information and encouragement to the program's 100,000 listeners. Calling in to say you are afraid your daughters may contract breast cancer because you had it? Be helped by a discussion of cancer genetics and familial tendencies. Want to share that your cancer tests were negative? Expect "The Group Room" cast (and members of the show's North American listening audience) to rejoice with you. Suicidal because your spouse died from cancer? Be heartened as "Group Room" professionals make referrals off the air for crisis intervention and support groups in your area. Frightened about your upcoming surgery? Be bowled over when a volunteer from your hospital calls and offers to meet you in admission the day of your operation to help get through the maze of corridors and procedures. The love, the laughter and the sharing of practical information are what keep listeners loyal to a show that handles a subject that can sometimes be scary. "We come into listeners' homes and hearts and heads and spirits, and make a qualitative difference in their lives... We are able to put patients and physicians on an even playing field," says Selma Schimmel, president and founder of Vital Options TeleSupport Cancer Network in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Los Angeles native Schimmel is the show's founder and host. 
"I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 28 and had no role models for survival," says Schimmel. Her mother, grandmother and uncle all died of the disease. In 1983, Schimmel founded Vital Options, a not-for-profit agency which provided cancer support services to young adults, ages 17 to 40. In 1993, Vital Options' young adult program was phased out as Schimmel began to restructure the organization. As she continued to reflect on her own lonely experience of recovery and the value of cancer patients and their family members supporting one another, she says she began to worry increasingly about those who could not get to a traditional support group. "I began to think about those who live in rural areas with no support group nearby, those who weren't ambulatory and those who want anonymity. Who helps them?" she asks. Breaking into the Radio Industry Then, she got the idea for radio, and something ignited her spirit. She knew this was to be the next step to make cancer support available to a wider audience and to persons of all ages. She approached Tim Kelly, director of programming and executive president of Premiere Radio Networks in Los Angeles, about the project. While he took up the daunting project wholeheartedly, believing from the start that the concept was a winner, the idea has been a hard sell with many radio stations. "Just getting on the air with the cancer-phobic attitudes that are out there may be our greatest challenge," comments Schimmel. Kelly concurs about the reluctance of radio program directors and the general station mangers to sign on when the "C-word" is mentioned. Remarks Kelly, "Generally, psychological and therapy-type talk shows have done well on the air. There are very few radio program directors who think this kind of show should not be on the air. But there are hundreds of radio program directors who feel that it should not be on their air." Preparing for the Challenge A former pediatric respiratory therapist with a life-time interest in the arts, Schimmel says the show allows her to bring together her interests in both medicine and artistic creativity.
Two-and-a-half years since the first broadcast in February 1996 on New York's WOR, "The Group Room" is thriving, and new cities, like Memphis and Chicago soon will be added to its current roster, which includes New Orleans, San Diego and Montreal, among other major markets. The show is broadcast live on the worldwide web. The 43-year-old Schimmel handles a whirlwind of projects each week, including show production, visiting cancer centers and radio stations, and running Vital Options. At this writing, she also is moving and completing a book version of "The Group Room," which is expected to be released by Broadway Books in time for Cancer Survivors' Day in June 1999. But the blur of activity involved with a pioneering effort of this kind seems worth it to Schimmel. "One of our greatest accomplishments is the number of people we are able to reach during two hours each Sunday, making a qualitative difference in their lives. We are helping to save people's physical and emotional lives," says Schimmel. |
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