Vigil to Honor Survivors and Victims of Domestic Violence

NEW HAVEN- To raise awareness about domestic violence, BHcare’s The Umbrella Center for Domestic Violence Services (UCDVS) will hold a vigil to honor survivors and remember the victims of domestic violence.

 

The 19^th Annual Sound of Hope will be held on Wednesday, October 3 at 1:00 pm at Long Wharf Pier, New Haven, CT. The vigil will include the reading of names of those who have died as a result of domestic violence.

 

Each person will receive a flower to toss into the harbor. The flowers represent the hopes and struggles of the survivors as they strive to become free from violence. The flower also gently reminds us of the lives that have been taken from us due to domestic violence.

 

Every October, the nation observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) to bring to light an issue that effects all of our communities. Every 9 seconds, a woman is battered in the U.S. One in four women and one in seven men in the U.S. are victims of domestic violence at some point in their lives.

 

Kevin Glen, Deputy Chief of Police of North Haven, will be the guest speaker and members the local police departments will be recognized for their role in the fight against domestic violence. The following members will be recognized: Sergeant Clifford Hill, Sergeant Matthew Falcon, Officer Valdemar Queiroga of North Haven, Sergeant Craig Michalowski, Sergeant Anthony Rybaruk, Detective Jeff Vailette, Officer Luke Rasile, Officer Joe Carangelo, Detective Joseph Finoia, Sergeant Joseph Mulhern Officer Jason Anderson, Officer Anthony Fiorillo, Lt. Joseph Murgo and Sergeant Paul DeCrosta of East Haven, Sergeant Dom Eula and Officer Jacob Cheesman of Branford, Officer Scott Shumway, Officer Eric Pesino, Officer Jeff Suchy, Officer Chris Lawerence, Officer Paul Vitale, Sergeant Jim Evarts, Sergeant Craig Dixon, Detective Lenny Soto, Officer Maegan Moran, and Detective Cherelle Carr of New Haven and Officer Brian Salemme and Officer Mark Berretta of West Haven.

 

For more information about the vigil, or about domestic violence services call (203) 736-2601, x1381, or visit www.bhcare.org.  If you need immediate assistance, please call our 24-hour domestic violence hotline 1-888-774-2900.

 

UCDVS is a program of BHcare that provides services for victims and children of domestic violence free of charge. Each year, over 6,000 abused women and their children walk through the door of UCDVS looking for shelter, help and hope. Learn more at bhcare.org.

 

(This is a press release from BHcare)

5K for Seymour Pink raises breast cancer awareness

1,500 pound the pavement for Pink 

SEYMOUR - Wow. What an event.

I took part in the second annual Pounding the Pavement for Pink to benefit Seymour Pink, Inc. Saturday morning. 
 

Volunteers were at the ready to give out goody bags and T-shirts to participants.

It was an inspiration to see so many people and so much support for breast cancer survivors. 

As you can see we got there early, which is unusual for moi.  

That's because we were concerned about where to park. My husband uses a wheelchair and he needed a space nearby to park his modified minivan.
We were fortunate to find one just across the bridge from the festivities.
 

Volunteers set up tables for the survivor breakfast.

  

It was all so festive. Survivors received surprises including cupcake-shaped pink and white soap from Lisa's Soaps, note paper, pink bead necklaces, a bracelet from Alyssa Antonucci, owner of beads by alyssa, and even a pink carnation corsage!  

I walked with the 'Circle of Friends' team, named for our breast cancer support group that meets once a month at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby.

We had a lot of laughs.

Many remarked on how this pink balloon arch added a nice touch to the starting line on River Street.

When the walk started, we were in middle of the walking pack (lots of walkers!), but somehow we ended up "bringing up the rear" and coming in last.
As several people said as we crossed the finish line, "somebody has to be last!"

Unfortunately I didn't take any group shots of our team, but I posed for quite a few. 


Many thanks to Seymour Pink founder Mary Deming, as well as to her board of directors and dedicated volunteers for bringing such an uplifting fund-raiser to the community.  They deserve plaudits! 

Community participation is evident in this long list of sponsors.

I'm looking forward to the third annual Pounding the Pavement for Pink, scheduled for Oct. 4, 2014. Mark your calendars!



  

Derby restaurant to host fund-raising event Monday

DERBY - Marco Pizzeria & Restaurant, 656 New Haven Ave., will present a special night to benefit Camp Rising Run from 4-8 p.m. Monday.

Restaurant manager Jordan Mann said in a release that 50 percent of the proceeds (dine-in and take-out) will benefit Camp Rising Sun’s cycling team at this year’s CT Challenge bike ride in July.

Mann said the restaurant is opening up special for Monday's event  and the entire staff is volunteering for the benefit.

Visit Marco's for a great meal and Wooster Street-style pizza and support two local charities that benefit cancer survivors.

The fund-raiser is only being held at the restaurant's Derby location, Mann said. 

For more information on the organizations, visit www.ctchallenge.org or www.camprisingsun.com.



This post is taken from a press release from Jordan Mann, manager, Marco's Pizzeria Restaurant,  Derby.

Derby hospital teaches fitness through fun

Instructor Maureen Helgren blows bubbles at the beginning of Friday’s Healthy Steps class at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby. Patricia Villers/Register

By Patricia Villers
pvillers@nhregister.com / Twitter: @nhrvalley


DERBY— The only requirement to be part of a females-only exercise class at Griffin Hospital is a willingness to have fun.

At least that’s what it felt like Friday morning when I stepped into the conference room at the hospital’s Center for Cancer Care.

Instructor Maureen Helgren was busy blowing up beach balls and chatting as women walked in for the once a week Healthy Steps class.

I was one of 10 women who took part in the program that featured slow and almost meditative exercises. It was not what I had imagined.
We followed Helgren as she moved in a way that reminded me of my aerobics classes from decades past, only slower.

The atmosphere was relaxing and pressure free.

I was urged to go by two women in a strength-training class I attend Tuesday nights as part of a survivorship program launched late last year at Griffin Hospital.

The class is led by Dan Root, a personal trainer who specializes in working with cancer survivors. I daresay I enjoy going to it for exercise and a bit of socializing.

Helgren is an associate professor of physical therapy at Quinnipiac University and chairman of the physical therapy department. She said she has been leading the class for four years.

After she inflated the beach balls Helgren started by blowing bubbles, and having us do the same. The activity was not only fun but relaxing. In the background James Taylor was singing “Up on the Roof.”
That was one of several songs Helgren played for us as we went through a variety of slow stretches and routines.

“Grace is not needed in this class,” she said. “Everything we do is really slow on purpose.”

Helgren said the slowness is “because it’s morning and also because going slow is better for our muscles.”

Helgren follows the Lebed method of exercise, which is defined on Griffn Hospital’s website as “a movement and dance program that integrates physical therapy and psychosocial support.”

“Beneficial for women who have been diagnosed with cancer or a chronic illness. Particularly helpful for women during the post-op recovery phase after having breast cancer surgery,” the website states.

Surprisingly, some of the women I spoke with said they don’t have cancer but were there to enjoy the exercise with a friend who has had breast cancer.

Seymour resident Mary Jezierny, who has not had breast cancer, said, “When Mo (Helgren) was away we did it ourselves. We took turns being the leader.”

Now that’s dedication.

Shelton resident Terri Biasi called the class “our Friday let-it-all-out” time.

She added, “It’s a nice group. We share and support each other.”

Workshop at Griffin to offer tips on reducing chemo effects

Note: As a participant in this survivorship program I thought I'd re-post the info below as a reminder to anyone interested in learning more about it. I highly recommend the program.


DERBY -  The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital  will host a free workshop Thursday to help cancer patients lessen the side effects of chemotherapy.

Staff from Griffin Hospital’s Survivorship Training & Rehabilitation (STAR) certified Rehabilitation Department will offer advice and tips on increasing strength and energy while improving concentration, memory and focus from 6-7 p.m. Thursday at the Center for Cancer Care, 350 Seymour Ave.

The presentation is part of the Center for Cancer Care’s free Survivorship Program, which offers personalized guidance from experienced clinicians to help cancer patients transition from active treatment back to everyday life. 

Future presentations topics include exercise (March 21), nutrition (April 18) and intimacy and sexuality (May 17).

The Center’s entire survivorship care team is STAR certified. Through extensive evidence-based training, STAR certified clinicians have gained thorough knowledge and understanding of the unique rehabilitation needs of cancer survivors.

To reserve a spot for the workshop, call 203-732-1260 or email tpittman@griffinhealth.org.
If you are interested in joining the program, contact the Center’s survivorship navigator Donna Hayes, 203-732-1408, or dhayes@griffinhealth.org to schedule a private consultation.

Also please see the story I wrote on the kickoff of the program in October.

Griffin talk to focus on reducing chemo side effects

DERBY - The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital will host a free workshop to help cancer patients lessen the side effects of chemotherapy.

Staff from Griffin Hospital’s Survivorship Training & Rehabilitation (STAR) certified Rehabilitation Department will offer advice and tips on increasing strength and energy while improving concentration, memory and focus from 6-7 p.m. Feb. 21 at 350 Seymour Ave.

The presentation is part of the Center for Cancer Care’s free Survivorship Program, which offers personalized guidance from experienced clinicians to help cancer patients transition from active treatment back to everyday life.
Topics of future presentations topics include exercise (March 21), nutrition (April 18) and intimacy and sexuality (May 17).

The Center’s entire survivorship care team is STAR certified. Through extensive evidence-based training, STAR certified clinicians have gained thorough knowledge and understanding of the unique rehabilitation needs of cancer survivors.

To reserve a spot for the workshop, call 203-732-1260 or email tpittman@griffinhealth.org.
To learn more about the Survivorship Program, contact the Center’s survivorship navigator Donna Hayes, 203-732-1408 or dhayes@griffinhealth.org to schedule a private consultation.

This information is from a press release from Griffin Hospital.

A new year ahead brings hope for us all

As 2012 comes to a close and I celebrate another birthday in a few short days I'm really not feeling nostalgic about the passage of time.

On the contrary. I'm looking forward to 2013 and a new start.

Soon I'll be marking my second anniversary as a breast cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with the disease in February 2011.


The past two years have been an educational experience, to say the least.
From hearing my doctor give me the news of my diagnosis on Feb. 11, to two surgeries, to chemotherapy and radiation treatments, to losing my hair, I've learned a lot.

One thing I learned is that keeping oneself healthy is a full-time job. Appointments abound!  

I've also learned to appreciate the little things in life more than ever before.

Soon after I was diagnosed I joined a support group.
I'm part of the Circle of Friends, which is based at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby. The ladies certainly live up to the group's name. They are friendly! I've never been in a support group before. New members are always welcome. 

I consider myself a private person but a year ago I wrote a revealing (for me) story about the American Cancer Society's "Look Good...Feel Better" session I attended at Griffin Hospital.

And I've participated in three fund-raising walks - two sponsored by Griffin and one coordinated this October by a dedicated Naugatuck mother of four whose own mother is a cancer survivor. The walks benefited the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital.

This year I formed a team. It was a lot of fun.

I'm looking forward to getting an even bigger team together next October. New members are always welcome. {grin}

This fall Griffin Hospital launched a survivorship program and I've been taking advantage of what the program offers. Last week I was one of only three patients who took part in a helpful workshop run by licensed clinical social worker Donna Hayes.

My takeaway from that session was I need to make time for moi, something with which many women seem to have trouble.
Women of a certain generation (myself included) have been raised to take care of everyone, which leaves little time or energy for much else.

Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, getting physical rehab, socializing, participating in fund-raising activities, and writing about all of the above. It's all a part of kicking cancer to the curb.


If you have gone through a bout with cancer as millions of us have you know whereof I speak.

 
And so...what about those New Year's Resolutions?

I haven't made a list yet, but most likely I'll jot a few resolutions down on a piece of paper.

And what about you?

Griffin earns survivorship care certification

DERBY - Griffin Hospital recently earned STAR Program® Certification from the Massachusetts-based Oncology Rehab Partners, leading experts in the field of survivorship care.

Griffin is the second hospital in the state and first in New Haven County to achieve this certification, making it a leader in delivering excellent cancer rehabilitation services to its patients.

The STAR (Survivorship Training and Rehabilitation) Program qualifies facilities like Griffin Hospital to offer premium oncology rehabilitation services to survivors who suffer from debilitating side effects caused by treatments

To attain this certification, Griffin Hospital executed Oncology Rehab Partner’s conventional medicine and evidence-based standardized model of oncology rehabilitation service delivery, successfully implementing the program’s evaluation and treatment protocols and rehabilitation training. 

These services are covered by health insurance providers and will be offered to patients by a knowledgeable and caring clinical staff specially trained to work with survivors of all forms of cancer.

Specialty caregivers including physicians, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists, exercise physiologists, dietitians, mental health professionals, etc. will work together with each patient on a personalized rehabilitation plan to increase strength and energy, alleviate pain, and improve daily function and quality of life.

“Cancer treatments can cause side-effects, like fatigue, difficulty with memory or concentration, muscle pain, weakness, balance problems, swallowing or speech issues and more that may affect your quality of life,” said Griffin Hospital Vice President for Ambulatory Care Services Marge Deegan. 

“We are proud to achieve this certification so that our patients can benefit from our understanding of the unique rehabilitation needs of cancer survivors and new treatments that help patients increase strength and energy, alleviate pain, and improve daily function and well-being.”


The above is a release from Griffin Hospital.

FRIDAY FIVE: A recap of stories from this week

These are some of the stories that made headlines in the Valley over the past week.
They are written by Register reporters Phyllis Swebilius and Patricia Villers and Register Correspondent Jean Falbo-Sosnovich and are listed in no particular order.




Defendant in Ansonia baby shaking has case continued.

Uses for town buildings explored in Seymour.

Griffin launches survivorship program. 

Town raises $6,400 with walk for Seymour Pink.

Seymour holds Pink Day.

Griffin starts cancer survivorship program

Cupcakes add festive air to kickoff reception at Center for Cancer Care. Photo by Patricia Villers

DERBY - My daughter and I attended a reception Thursday held to kick off a free survivorship program at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital.

What better time to launch the initiative than during October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month? 

I was among almost 20 breast cancer survivors there who learned about participating in the program.
Griffin will be scheduling workshops on topics such as rehab, pastoral care, nutrition, and exercise.

I'm looking forward to being a part of it, and sharing my experiences with readers here on the blog and in the newspaper.

Griffin celebration to honor cancer survivors

DERBY - Griffin Hospital will celebrate National Cancer Survivors Day®, the world's largest cancer survivor event, from noon to 1:30 p.m. June 3 in the hospital dining room, 130 Division St. All cancer survivors and their family members are invited to join the celebration.
This theme of this year’s celebration is “You are the Sunshine of Our Lives” and will feature Andy Pezzino, an area cancer survivor and motivational speaker. There will also be food and door prizes.
“This annual event is a gathering where we share camaraderie, hope, compassion, faith and love as we honor cancer survivors for their strength and courage,” said Doris Fialkovich, RN, organizer of the celebration.
“The event also provides an opportunity to recognize the contributions of patients' families, friends, and healthcare providers and discuss various issues of cancer survivorship.”
A cancer survivor, as defined by the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation, is anyone living with a history of cancer, from the moment of diagnosis through the rest of their life. Approximately 12 million Americans are now living with and beyond a diagnosis of cancer.
In the United States, almost half of all men and one third of all women are expected to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives.
The event is free, but pre-registration is requested. Call Griffin Hospital InfoSource, 203-732-1511.

This information was provided by Griffin Hospital.