Importance of Lung Cancer Support Groups

[CindyA]

Importance of Lung Cancer Support Groups

As I get ready to board my flight to Washington DC for the annual HOPE Summit, I'm again reminded of the importance of support from peers among lung cancer patients. I wish I could use one of those Star Trek thingies and send all of you back to previous summits. Only the most hardened person could avoid the spine tingling and wet eyes that arise from seeing people with lung cancer - many of whom have never met another lung cancer survivor - gather in the largest face-to-face community ever.

And if that wish of mine could come true, I'd beam you up (are you listening, Scotty?) first to be hugged in a mass hug that spontaneously occurred out of nowhere last year, like a miracle. I'm still wondering (Katie Brown, are you also wondering?) what happened. Was it some kind of time warp? I guess I don't need to know because I know the effect. It was like taking all of the kind words ever said to all of these people combined, and converting the words into something living and breathing.

As you can probably tell, it's an incredibly emotional experience to be part of the Summit. This morning I heard there will be around 150 people present, with 75% of these people having stage 4 lung cancer. Wow... I'm speechless.

I'd better finish my packing. I'll write from DC about a healing ceremony I have planned, cleverly disguised within a talk on what you can do to keep cancer at bay. As a quick hint: I'm loading my suitcase with shells the kids and I have collected over the years on Sanibel Island. More about that later.

For those of you who will have to wait until next year's HOPE Summit (please mark the date - and note that travel scholarships are making it possible for many if not most,) here are a few articles that talk about how to find Lung Cancer Support Groups - both in-person groups, and online groups.

http://lungcancer.about.com/b/