From: myfox8.com
A cancer diagnosis can certainly evoke overwhelming feelings of fear and anxiety in an individual, especially if the patient doesn’t have a good support system of family and friends to help them through treatment.
The Wings to Recovery program at Cone Health Cancer Center at Alamance Regional was implemented by the Center as a form of emotional support for patients, a vital part of the healing process.
Through Wings to Recovery, newly diagnosed cancer patients are able to talk to a volunteer mentor who has experienced cancer and completed treatment. When possible, the newly diagnosed patient is matched with a mentor who had the same type of cancer, is the same gender and is near the same age.
Wings to Recovery mentors provide emotional support to newly diagnosed patients, offer an outlet for patients to voice their fears and concerns, help patients clarify issues and formulate questions they would like to discuss with their health care team and direct patients to other available community resource that may help them cope more effectively with their condition and treatment.
Since the program was established in 2007, Wings to Recovery has grown to include 70 active mentors providing support to cancer patients receiving treatment at the Center.
Patients can be matched with mentors at any point throughout their treatment; the matching process can even begin before they make their first visit to the Cancer Center.
The goal of the program is to build awareness about this resource in doctor’s offices and other cancer care facilities throughout the region so newly diagnosed patients can be matched with a mentor as soon as they want, to empower and support them through the entire cancer treatment process.
Spokesperson Background:
Rosa Davis is a registered nurse and the survivorship coordinator at Cone Health Cancer Center at Alamance Regional.
Davis began the Wings to Recovery program at the Cancer Center back in 2007.
She specializes in chemotherapy infusion nursing, earning an Associate’s degree in nursing from Alamance Community College. She was been with Alamance Regional Medical Center for 24 years.
Barbara Jacoby is an award winning blogger that has contributed her writings to multiple online publications that have touched readers worldwide.