DONOR IMPACT UPDATE
bringing hope and healing to patients and their loved ones
With 2023 well underway, we reflect on the many ways we serve and support people of all ages impacted by cancer thanks to your generous support.
Because of you, Life with Cancer is able to provide educational and emotional support and programming to patients and their loved ones. This includes one-on-one counseling, fitness and nutrition classes, and diseasespecific symposiums and support groups all at no cost, no matter where treatment is received.
With gratitude,
Jennifer Bires, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C Executive Director, Life with Cancer and Patient Experience, Inova Schar Cancer Institute
$3.9 million raised and $4.5 million deployed in 2022
We are so grateful for the donors who enable us to activate and sustain these programs and projects that extend over multiple years - and great need remains!
2023 Updates
Each month, our Life with Cancer Program Guide is shared with patients, caregivers and loved ones. Group and class highlights include:
Class or Group Series such as Good Grief, small group fitness training, Hybrid Bladder Cancer Workshop in partnership with Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network and Integrative PyschoOncology programs like Mind over Matter and Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery
Education including nutrition and symptom management
Pediatrics – Children, Teen & Parents
Stress Reduction - featuring new class, Need Sleep? Interventions for Healthful Sleep
Support Groups & Networking including disease-specific, topical (e.g., sexual health for women & men, survivorship, caregiver support) and more.
Resources for National Nutrition Month
To promote National Nutrition Month and National Registered Dietitian Day (March 8), members of the Clinical Nutrition team produced a cookbook of their favorite recipes. The book includes information about dietitians, National Nutrition Month and the team’s love for food!
fitness and mind-body classes
Nordic walking is in full swing where participants explore ways to engage more muscles than traditional walking. Originally designed as a summer training routine for cross-country skiing, it mimics the motion by using poles to push yourself as you walk along a trail or sidewalk. Nordic walking is catching on in the United States as an exercise regimen, especially among older adults.
Additional Offerings:
Mindfulness in Motion
Tai Chi I and Tai Chi II
Balance for Neuropathy
Cardio Drumming for Heart and Brain Health
Lymphatic Flow Yoga
Mindfulness Break Series
Life with Cancer hosts a weekly Mindfulness Break to not only support patients and loved ones impacted by cancer, but also to support all Inova Team Members. This series consists of 10-15 minute traditional meditations, creative/art-based mindfulness activities or movement-based exercises each week to help participants relax, re-focus and re-energize.
Each month has a theme:
January: Beginner’s Mind
February: Loving kindness
March: Hope
April: Renewal
May: Joy and Play
June: Intention
innovation and excellence
Hybrid classes are growing at Life with Cancer. With the new implementation of our streaming platform we have elevated the at-home, in-person and hybrid experience for our participants to best support people on their journey from the time of diagnosis and beyond.
New ACCC Fellow
Launched our new online registration system to expand program accessibility and improve the experience for our participants.
Congratulations to Jennifer Bires on being inducted as a fellow of the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC). The ACCC is a community of cancer centers providing ongoing resources to help navigate the accelerating industry. Fellows are exemplary volunteers whose tireless service and dedication has benefitted the cancer care community and whose leadership and contributions inspire increased engagement among their colleagues.
Jennifer Bires, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C Executive Director, Life with Cancer and Patient Experience, Inova Schar Cancer Institute
pediatric programming
Life with Cancer's program, Curious about Cancer, hosted sessions at the Family Center and at the new Inova Schar - Loudoun location. These were facilitated by Jane Woo, MA, ATR-BC, Oncology Clinical Therapist and Art therapist and Jemma Stratton, MSW, Pediatric Oncology Clinical Therapist. Jemma’s position is funded by a generous donation from Northern Virginia Orthodontics.
This 5-week program is for kids ages 7-11 with a family member with cancer. This in-person, socially distanced group provides kids with the opportunity to learn about cancer in age appropriate way, learn and share coping skills, and be supported by peers with similar experiences.
Feedback from Parents
“My son had great things to say about last week’s session. He told me he knew there were kids in the world whose dad had the same type of cancer as his dad but he never thought he would meet someone. I thought that was really good for him. Thank you!”
“I just wanted to say thanks. My daughter was a bit skittish at first, but she told me you made her feel comfortable at the start! She also said she really had fun and is looking forward to next week. Which is saying A LOT - considering she happens to be the only girl."
In April, any teen who has a loved one with cancer (parent, sibling, grandparent, etc) was invited to join us for an afternoon of art, pickle ball, jumbo jenga, and hanging out with their peers. This was a great, low-pressure environment for teens who may not be interested in more traditional therapy settings, or who are just interested in the social aspect. This event coincided with Fairfax and Loudoun County Public Schools' day off.
Testimony from Grateful parents
"We are writing to express our appreciation for the care and attention the Inova Schar Cancer Institute gave to our son Jeff who underwent treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2022.
The services that Inova provided to him were comprehensive and holistic. Beyond the medical treatment, which was cutting edge and delivered by a superb team, Jeff received the help - among others - from a financial navigator, a massage therapist and acupuncture therapists.
Special recognition is also due to his nurse navigator, who masterfully coordinated his care team, and gave timely attention to any questions that Jeff had during the his treatment.
We cannot convey sufficient praise for the work of his treating physician. Not only was she the knowledgeable "pilot" of Jeff's treatment, she also connected with him on a personal level regarding his navigation of difficult chemotherapy and based on her careful eye made adjustments in recognition of how he was tolerating his treatment.
Jeff is now cancer free. When he had his final chemotherapy infusion, and he "rang the bell" at the unit amidst the applause of the treating staff, it was one of our most heartwarming moments. Thank you and your wonderful Schar team for making Jeff's recovery possible."
Research shows that comprehensive oncology care is key to a patient’s physical, psychological and emotional well-being.
patient always
"Life with Cancer, came to see me at the very first event of my treatments for breast cancer when I was having the infusion port installed. Mary Kay Mecca, my Oncology Nurse Navigator was so compassionate, understanding, soothing, comforting, encouraging, knowledgeable and professional. She is the one who gave me the confidence and fortitude that I've needed to go through the grueling, scary journey. She frequently met me at the Inova Schar Cancer Infusion Center to continue encouraging me to be strong, and is always there for me. And that speaks so highly of her, for her dedication to her profession plus her mastery of patient care.
I am very grateful to be under her care. In my opinion, she has achieved world-class excellence in her profession."
Mary Kay Mecca RN, BSN, OCN Oncology Nurse Navigator Inova Loudoun Hospital
Mary Kay's volunteer work with Life with Cancer led to her current position as an oncology nurse navigator at Inova Loudoun Hospital. Her transition from a bedside Oncology RN “Night Nurse” to an Oncology Nurse Navigator has allowed her to continue her passion for Oncology Nursing, mentor Novice nurses who have an interest in Oncology and provide guidance, education, and support to patients and their families with a new cancer diagnosis.
- Inova Loudoun Hospital Breast Cancer Patient
Denyse's journey from Life with Cancer teacher to patient
In the summer of 2018, Denyse accepted an opportunity to teach Restorative Yoga at The Dewberry Life with Cancer Family Center. She learned how her colleague, Susan Kilday, launched a bedside yoga therapy program and began shadowing her in May 2022 – the same time she received a thyroid cancer diagnosis. After treatment, Denyse began offering yoga therapy to oncology patients at Inova’s Fairfax Hospital and continues to teach for Life with Cancer.
“Both my experience through offering yoga therapy and the excellent support that I received from the Inova team from my primary care doctor to the endocrinology team to the Life with Cancer Staff are why I will contribute to Life with Cancer again this year. The amount of my contribution may not be much in the scheme of things, but my gratitude to Inova goes beyond any monetary contribution that I could make.” - Denyse
Helping patients and partners thrive
Helping couples navigate the complex terrain in the face of a cancer diagnosis is part of Life with Cancer’s mission. Patient Reem Kodsi was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021 and struggled to deal with her fear and worry. As a result of working with an oncology clinical therapist, Reem and her husband Ahmed both came through her cancer journey as a stronger and happier couple.
“I am so thankful for what our therapist has enabled my husband and I to do. She ultimately saved our marriage by slowly incorporating tools into our lives that have enabled us to do so much, especially when dealing with each other on a daily basis.” - Reem
Thank you for your generous support
We hope you will continue to partner with us by getting involved and sharing our mission to ensure we can continue to provide these critical support services to those living with cancer in our community.
Thank you and we look forward to driving our mission forward together throughout 2023.
For more information about the impact of your giving, please reach out to Sage Bolte at Sage.Bolte@inova.org or 703.403.2120 or Amy
