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NewsBits... The International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry website at www.ibmtr.org provides statistical data on transplant outcomes, and other information of interest to patients. The American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation website at www.asbmt.org provides guidelines for transplant centers and searchable texts of articles in Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Upcoming free teleconferences sponsored by Cancer Care include: A Shared Purpose: Helping Daughters Whose Mothers Have Advanced Breast Cancer, on May 5th; It Doesn’t Have to Hurt: Coping with the Discomforts of Cancer, on June 9th; Helping Children and Teenagers Understand and Cope with Cancer in the Family, on June 23rd; Coping With Fatigue and Using Relaxation Techniques to Cope With the Stress of Cancer (conducted In Spanish) on June 30th; Support for Family Caregivers: Coping Strategies (conducted in Spanish), on August 4th; Grief: A Journey in Time, on August 11th; A Medical Update on Ovarian Cancer: The State-of-the-Art, on August 17th. These sessions are all from noon to 1 p.m. Eastern time, and require pre-registration. Call the Cancer Care Counseling Line at 800-813-HOPE (800-813-4673) for more information or to pre-register. The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link offers a new publication, “Stem Cell Transplant, A Companion Guide for Breast Cancer Patients.” Copies are free of charge plus shipping & handling. For details, contact 800-546-5268 or visit their web site, http://comnet.org/nbmtlink. The Cancer Survival Toolbox is an audiocassette program designed to help cancer patients and survivors cope with their diagnosis. Topics include Communicating, Finding Information, Making Decisions, Solving Problems, Negotiating, and Standing Up For Your Rights. To request your free copy, write: National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, C/O Data and Distribution, 6839 Mowry Ave., Newark CA 94560-9970, phone 877-TOOLS.4.U or visit www.cansearch.org/programs/toolbox. htm LifeCord Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) Bank in Gainesville, FL collects cord blood for use in allogeneic stem cell transplantation. All cord blood samples collected by LifeCord are available for use by accredited transplant centers worldwide. Pregnant women in the Florida area who are interested in donating their infant’s cord blood should call 352-334-1000. Children’s Hospital Oakland (California) has developed a Related Cord Blood Program for families who have a child with thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, leukemia, aplastic anemia or any other disease that could potentially be treated with a cord blood transplant. For information call 510-428-3388. The Aplastic Anemia Foundation will host a Patient and Family conference entitled “Treatment of Aplastic Anemia & Myelodysplastic Syndromes” in Schaumburg, IL, July 30-Aug. 1, 1999. Contact Marilyn Baker at 800-747-2820 or Arlene Haft at 847-559-0688. The American Brain Tumor Association will host the 4th “Sharing Hope Symposium” for patients/families and health professionals on July 23-25, 1999, in the Chicago area. For information call 800-886-2282 or e-mail: info@abta.org. You Are Not Alone is a high-dose chemotherapy support group in the Los Angeles area. The group presents speakers at monthly meetings, and networks with other high-dose chemotherapy patients and groups. Visit their website at http://www.yana.org. Creative Cancer Patients has a monthly support group in Phoenix, AZ. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. Call Anne Corssen at 602-971-9079. Helping children deal with a parent’s cancer is the focus of a new book being put together by Peter van Dernoot. Parents who have survived cancer, and spouses of surviving or deceased cancer patients can submit a short essay (up to 1,000 words) on how the cancer affected their family, and how they helped their children cope with their own fears and anxieties. Submissions from children are also encouraged. Email Mr. VanDernoot at prvand@aol.com or send to PRVD, 50 South Steele St. #222, Denver, CO 80209. The Patient Advocacy Foundation will hold its first Annual Patient Congress in Washington DC July 21-23, 1999. The Congress has been established to bring patients’ concerns to the attention of elected representatives and to nurture relations with the research community. For details about attending the Congress call 800-532-5274.
The twelfth annual National Cancer Survivors Day, the world’s largest cancer survivor event, will take place June 6, 1999. Celebrations will be held simultaneously in more than 700 communities across America. For information call 615-794-3006 or e-mail ncsd@aol.com. |
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