Cancer Care Resources

I mention CCR because I would like to point out that no points for stoicism are awarded during cancer. Why reinvent the wheel when there often are people or organizations in your community who can solve or ameliorate your problems.

Cancer Care Resources is a non-profit helping people in the Portland and Vancouver area deal with cancer. The staff include nurses, social workers, therapists. During my illness Rosemary McDermott was a particularly caring and responsive person who helped a great deal.

Although Rosemary did give me much professionally prepared material outlining my chemotherapy, I did not find it that helpful. But she did give me an 80-page manuscript by John Underhill, who had a similar type of cancer, outlining his experience. I found a great benefit in reading about someone else’s “tricks” of getting on with a PEG tube.

I would guess that many communities have similar organizations. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you know all the answers. There is a tremendous generosity of spirit in the world of cancer treatment and CCR is certainly part of this.