A new program begins this month that is designed to offer cancer patients a way to learn about the disease and to meet other survivors.
The Survivors' Symposium begins Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the conference room at the Mary Washington Home Health office in Massaponax.
Dr. Sudeep Menachery, a Fredericksburg hematologist and oncologist, will speak on the long-term effects of chemotherapy. The program is free and open to the public.
The program is sponsored by the Oncology Resources Services division at Mary Washington Hospital and its cancer-navigator program.
Organizers met with cancer survivors in October to measure their interest in a program and to see which topics might interest them.
They hope to sponsor quarterly sessions that differ from a support group by combining an educational component with a chance for survivors to interact with each other.
"People do want to get together, and they want more information," said Messina Corder, cancer-program coordinator.
The Fredericksburg area is home to thousands of cancer survivors. Each year more than 1,000 people receive a cancer diagnosis, according to hospital figures. The number increases each year with the growing population.
For more information about the symposium, call 540/741-7765. To see more of The Free Lance-Star or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://fredericksburg.com/flshome. Copyright (c) 2009, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2009, The Free Lance-Star, Fredericksburg, Va.