Meet Katie

Katie is a cancer survivor and volunteer for Circle of Care!

To read Katie’s story click here
 

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Reflections on Childhood Cancer

A mom reflects…

I remember early last September noticing many of my friends on Facebook changing their profile pictures to commemorate Childhood Cancer Awareness month. At the time I thought it was a nice thought, but didn’t give it much more consideration. Little did I know that within a few short weeks, with little warning, my family was to be thrown into the world of childhood cancer. In early October my then almost 11 year old daughter was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. While this news was devastating at the time, and the past year has not always been easy, I believe that I am a stronger and better person for it. I have learned more about hope, courage, and caring in this year, than in all my 41 previous years.

 

Today Emma is doing very well, her disease is in remission, and she is scheduled to be through with her chemotherapy treatments at the end of September. This September I will be proudly  honoring Emma and all of the brave children and families who have battled or are currently battling this disease.

 

 

Jeannine Fagan

Bethel, CT

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Web-based system for childhood cancer survivors being implemented nationwide by Children’s Oncology Group

HOUSTON – (April 14, 2011) – Passport for Care an innovative, web-based system that guides health care for pediatric cancer survivors, is poised to have an even wider impact as it is now being made available to the more than 220 institutions of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG).
The system was developed at the Texas Children’s Cancer Center and the Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies at Baylor College of Medicine

The Passport for Care website allows oncologists to enter a survivor’s basic medical history—including type of cancer and treatment including any chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. With the click of a mouse, the Passport for Care program then generates individualized health care recommendations for the long-term survivor based on the most up-to-date COG survivorship guidelines.

More than 75 percent of pediatric cancer patients are cured but many have late effects of their treatment that can be serious and even life-threatening, said Dr. David Poplack professor of pediatrics – hematology/oncology at BCM and director of the Texas Children’s Cancer Center, who helped develop the program.

“Keeping up with health care recommendations can be complicated for survivors and their physicians but Passport for Care can translate complex follow-up guidelines into a user-friendly, personalized care plan,” Poplack said.

Dr. Peter Adamson, chairman of the COG, which is an international consortium of childhood cancer centers with the goal of preventing and curing childhood cancer through scientific discovery and compassionate care, announced the implementation plan at the group’s spring meeting in Los Angeles.

“Passport for Care is an important tool in ensuring survivors lead long, healthy lives so we are excited about its availability to all members of the Children’s Oncology Group,” Adamson said.

Passport for Care was launched at Texas Children’s Cancer Center in 2008 and is currently being used at 11 additional COG institutions. A grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Initiative of Texas will make the PFC available to pediatric cancer treatment centers in Texas.

The PFC was developed by Dr. Poplack along with Drs. Marc Horowitz and Michael Fordis, Jr., director of the Center for Collaborative and Interactive Technologies at BCM. Drs. Poplack and Horowitz,  professors of pediatrics – hematology/oncology at BCM, attended the COG spring meeting, where they demonstrated Passport for Care to other physicians in attendance.

Texas Children’s Cancer Center is a joint program of Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital and is the pediatric program of the NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at BCM.

source: The Cherokeean Herald

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Madison elementary school partners with Circle Of Care

Jeffrey School it’s the place to be.  A caring, connected community.” These proud and heartfelt lyrics to the Jeffrey School song reflect more than words on a song sheet.  They embrace the true spirit of a student body striving to make their community a better place.

For the second consecutive year, Jeffrey School has partnered with Circle of Care to make a difference in the lives of young cancer patients.   Circle of Care is a Connecticut based organization whose mission is to provide immediate and ongoing support to families of children with cancer.  The organization was created by three moms who met while their own children were fighting pediatric cancer.

According to Principal Mona Goodman,  this project is part of Jeffrey’s reading initiative to strengthen students’ reading skills and at the same time fulfill a need in the community.  “It’s really a win-win situation that teaches about reading and giving.”

Principal Goodman praised the project for allowing Jeffrey students the ability to connect with other children in a philanthropic manner.  She felt that because all of the children are so close in age the giving part of the project really hit home for the students.

As a part of the Jeffrey reading initiative, students took part in an author study by reading books  by a specific writer.   Authors included Mercer Mayer, Eve Bunting, and Dr. Suess, Doreen Cronin, and Rosemary Wells.

Students in various grades then joined together forming “families” to create tote bags based on each author to be distributed by Circle of Care to children battling cancer at Yale New Haven Hospital.

Stacey Ritsick’s 2nd grade and Tracey Soboleski’s 4th grade students both focused on author Eve Bunting’s book, “Trouble on the T-Ball Team” and as a family created items for their bag:  baseball themed artwork, word searches and crossword puzzles, “Louisville Slugger” bookmarks, and a cd recording of the book along with a copy of it.

In addition, Jeffrey kindergartners created cover art for each student recorded cd.

Also included in each tote, are a selection of books by each author.  Jeffrey School purchased the books using money earned by students completing chores at home.   Teachers displayed their accomplishments on a “chore bucket” outside each classroom. The project will culminate at an assembly on April 29th where students will present a total of five themed tote bags to Circle of Care representatives.

Tina Garrity of Circle of Care spoke about the importance of taking part in this very special project with Jeffrey School.  “The bags are given to children.  So, it is children giving to children and I just think that is wonderful!   It’s enjoyable for them to hear the voices of their peers reading to them.

As part of their mission, Jeffrey School prides itself in being a caring, respectful community of learners where it is expected that “all students exhibit values that can be demonstrated through social responsibility.”  In fact, at the beginning of each day students are greeted with a morning announcement that promotes positive character building and making wise choices.  It was evident as the children proudly worked together that these daily lessons were truly reflected in their enthusiasm towards the project and their handiwork for Circle of Care.  When asked what she enjoyed most about participating, second grade student Lindsay Riordan said, “Making the baseball player artwork for the bags and making the kids happy who receive them.”

Source: Madison Patch by Elizabeth Friedman-Rubin

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One Mile at a Time Race!

Registration is open now for the 2011 One Mile at a Time Race in New Canaan June 3 -5! Join us to run your 5 mile leg or put a team together to share the 5 miles all to benefit Childhood Cancer! www.onemileatatimerelay.org

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Thank you to our volunteers

In honor of National Volunteer Week we want to THANK our amazing volunteers who give their time and talents to make the long days in treatment for our children a little more bearable!  To find out how you can join our team contact us at info@thecircleofcare.org

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Shop Lord & Taylor on May 3 and Raise Money for Circle of Care

“Lord & Taylor – Do Good www.lordandtaylor.com/extra/SSDGToolKit

Shop for the latest fashions May 3 at Lord & Taylor in Stamford and support Circle of Care

Circle of Care keeps 100% of all ticket sales.

The bonus coupon and savings pass are Lord & Taylor’s best offers of the year with very limited exclusions.

On Fundraising Day, there are many ways to save. Each ticket includes a 20% bonus coupon to be used on one special item and a 15% savings pass to be used all day long on regular and sale-priced merchandise storewide including cosmetics and fragrances. Save even more by opening a Lord & Taylor charge account on Fundraising Day and received an extra 15% off your purchases. Current Lord & Taylor cardholders receive an additional 10% on top of all the other great savings.

There will be special events and appearances at each store.

Help us earn even more: the top three organizations with the highest ticket sales will receive an additional bonus from
Lord & Taylor.
Drop off your ticket stub(s) at Lord & Taylor on Fundraising Day to automatically enter our non-profit group for a chance to win the Attendance Sweepstakes.

Each non profit group that sells 50 tickets or more prior to Fundraising Day will be eligible to receive a share of ticket sales on the day of the event.

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Art from the Heart on TV

Please check out WTNH’s interview with Clinton and Madison High School’s Art from the Heart Team at http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/ct_style/community/art-from-the-heart .

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We’re on Facebook!

Circle of care is now on Facebook. Follow our latest happenings and friends on our new Facebook page.

Follow us on Facebook

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