MAYWOOD, Ill. - A diagnosis of cancer affects the patient as well as their family and friends. All can struggle with shock, disbelief, fear, anxiety, guilt, sadness, anger and other strong emotions that may make it difficult for them to cope.
For those overwhelmed by a cancer diagnosis, support groups provide opportunities to gain comfort and hope from listening to another patient's experiences, sharing one's own story or getting the latest information from medical professionals. The Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center of Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood offers a variety of support groups for cancer patients and their families, friends and caregivers. A social worker, nurse or physician leads the groups, which also provide information and practical help to participants. The groups include:
• Brain Tumor Networking Group - Group meets from 6-7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Group will not meet in July, August, November or December.
• Breast Cancer Networking Group - Meets from 6-7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Group does not meet in July, August or December.
• Gastroenterology Cancer Networking Group - Group meets from 6-7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month, excluding July, August and December. Appropriate for patients, family and friends dealing with one of the following cancer diagnoses: esophageal, stomach, intestinal, colon, rectal, anal, bile duct, gallbladder, pancreatic and liver.
• Lung Cancer Networking Group - Group meets from 6-7 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month, excluding July, August and December.
• Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Networking Group - Group meets from 6-7 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month, except July, August and December.
Meetings are free and take place in the Image Renewal Center Conference Room in the Cancer Center. Registration is not required and refreshments are provided. Parking is available in the Cancer Center parking lot. For more information, call (708) 327-2042.
Loyola University Health System (LUHS) is a member of Trinity Health. Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, LUHS is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and more than 30 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 569-licensed-bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 264-licensed-bed community hospital, the Professional Office Building housing 150 private practice clinics, the Adult Day Care, the Gottlieb Center for Fitness, Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care and the Loyola Cancer Care & Research at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center at Melrose Park.