“I am grateful that an organization like this cares enough to create a cancer care team, and sees the importance of helping build the foundation of getting well and staying well.” — Linda Gilroy Palmer Breast and ovarian cancer survivor
Hope According to the Center for Disease Control, cancer deaths are higher in rural America. The distance to major medical centers, and the challenges of winter weather, present added variables to recovery that urban patients don’t face. While Saint Francis University, nestled within the pines of the Laurel Highlands, provides a beautiful landscape in which to study, its close-knit community also understands that a rural setting creates logistical difficulties that neighboring cancer survivors must endure. This awareness, along with the University’s mission to provide excellent education while serving the community, has led to the opening of the Center for Rural Cancer Survivorship (CRCS). The Center, housed in the DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness, provides rehabilitation services to those who have been diagnosed with cancer and their caregivers. Oftentimes lost in our discussion of cancer are the informal caregivers—family members and friends—who give of their time to help aid the cancer survivor on their journey to health. As Hayden
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for the rural cancer survivor STORY BY / Tom Havrilla, Communications Specialist
5
th
in new cancer diagnosis
Pennsylvania ranks 5th in the estimated number of new cancer diagnosis. Elliott, a Physician Assistant Science student, demonstrated in her undergraduate honors thesis, the quality of life for informal caregivers was reportedly lower than that reported by cancer survivors.
ABOUT THE CENTER
“This truly is a mission fit for Saint Francis,” said the Rev. Malachi Van Tassell, T.O.R., PhD, President of the University, during the January 2018 announcement ceremony.
