Volunteers Help Cancer Patients Celebrate Life

Diagnosed with colon cancer in 1988, the first person Billie Bond wanted to speak to was her neighbor, a woman she knew had survived colon cancer years earlier.

"I didn't want to talk to a doctor or a nurse - I wanted to talk to someone who knew what I was going through and what I was afraid of," she says.

Today, Bond is a member of the Anderson Network, a volunteer organization of 1,300 current and former patients of The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, whose mission is to help those newly diagnosed with the disease, regardless of where they receive treatment. Because Network members know the fear and uncertainty cancer patients experience, they offer practical support, resources and hope.

One of the ways the group offers support is through the "Living Fully with Cancer" patient conference held every September in Houston. It's what one survivor calls "a great, big celebration of life."

To prepare for the hundreds of patients, survivors and family members who attend each year, Bond and other Anderson Network members schedule keynote speakers, activities and breakout sessions offering information on the latest in cancer treatments, complementary therapies and coping strategies, as well as a lot of fun.

In addition to the two-day patient conference, other Anderson Network programs include:

• The Hospitality Room, an attractive and spacious room located in the heart of the hospital where patients can rest between appointments and receive refreshments and comfort,

• Toll-free hotlines linking patients with similar diagnoses as well as caregivers,

• Partners in Knowledge, News in Cancer, or PIKNIC, a weekly hour-long discussion led by cancer experts, therapists and survivors,

• Network, a national quarterly newsletter that offers stories of research, coping and hope,

• An information line with up-to-date information on specific cancers, treatment and appointment information,

• Warmnet, an online Internet listserve, and

• Community outreach groups.

For more information about the Anderson Network, call (713) 792-2553.

The 13th annual "Living Fully with Cancer" conference will be held Sept. 7 and 8, at the Omni Hotel in Houston. This year's keynote speaker will be Hamilton Jordan, former assistant to President Jimmy Carter, author and three-time cancer survivor. For more information about the conference, call (713) 792-2553.

The public is invited to join Anderson Network volunteers as they celebrate the Hospitality Room's 14th anniversary Tuesday, April 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Hospitality Room is located in the lobby of the Lutheran Pavilion at M. D. Anderson, 1515 Holcombe Blvd. For directions, call (713) 794-1055.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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