Category - Cancer Support

Part of life is the unforeseen event. It’s why we take out insurance on our homes, cars, health and lives. We want to be covered in case of accidents or emergencies that we just don’t see coming.

The same philosophy applies to health care proxies. You may not always be capable of making important medical decisions on your own. Relying on unassigned family members, some who may have differing opinions, or your physician places a great burden on those individuals. Without a health care proxy, as a patient, you would face an uncertain future.

April 22-26, 2013 marks National Volunteer Week and I am proud to call myself a volunteer as a front-door greeter at Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

You can find me every Wednesday morning near Roswell Park’s front entrance, holding the door for visitors, helping new patients find their way around the building, and assisting with various drop-offs and deliveries. As a volunteer, I am here to help in any way I can.

Though they live only a few miles apart in Buffalo, Christine Lai first bonded with my brother six thousand miles away, on the snowy streets of Beijing.

Lai, an associate professor in Buffalo State's business department, shepherds a group of business students through the Forbidden City each winter. In 2011, David was one of them.

Lai remembers the 23-year-old Dave, a marketing major, as a "smart and motivated" student. Pictures of the trip show him healthy and rosy-cheeked, delighted to be exploring the world with Lai and her troop of twenty-somethings.

In addition to diagnosing, treating and researching cancer, Roswell Park offers a wide array of supportive services for patients and their families. Dana Jenkins, Vice President of Organizational Performance Improvement, Senior Medical Social Worker Susan Sharcot and volunteer Linda Steinhorn stopped by Roswellness Radio last week to discuss these services — including ...