The MetaCancer Foundation Partners with Turning Point to Create Advanced-Stage Cancer Programs in Kansas City

Kansas City, MO (PRWeb) November 20, 2006 -- In recognition of The MetaCancer Foundation's leadership grant to create "A New Path: Living with Advanced-Stage Cancer," Turning Point will dedicate the Elizabeth Anne Prostic Room on Saturday, November 25, at its Kansas City facility, in honor and memory of the inspiration behind The MetaCancer Foundation. Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing and The MetaCancer Foundation have partnered to create an innovative new program that will address the unique psychosocial issues of living with advanced-stage cancers.

The MetaCancer Foundation has committed to a grant of $30,000 to Turning Point that will be matched by the Kansas City-based non-profit organization and facility to reach out and improve the lives of those affected by advanced-stage cancer.

"An advanced-stage cancer program has been in our plans since we opened," stated Dr. Moira Mulhern, co-founder/CEO of Turning Point. "We have not had the resources or staff to implement it until now. It is because of The MetaCancer Foundation's grant that we are able to launch this very important program in our community."
              
Specifically the program will:

• Provide ongoing support groups for survivors and caregivers titled "Wellness and Relaxation for Advanced-Stage Cancer."

• Provide a series of Advanced-Stage Cancer workshops with themes such as Cohesion Building, Managing Fear and Anxiety, Social and Family Relationships, Spirituality and End-of-Life Issues, and Goal Setting for the Future.

• Provide individual counseling for survivors and caregivers confronting the psychosocial issues unique to advanced-stage cancer.

• Provide educational programs that will be valuable to individuals with advanced-stage cancer and their supporters, such as: Nutritional Issues and "End of Life" Care, helping people understand diminishing nutritional needs as the end of life nears and needs shift to comfort care; and Anticipatory Grief, helping participants learn to confront life challenges, grieve over the loss of roles and physical limitations, learn how to thrive with advanced-stage illness, and feel as good as possible.

"Many non-profit organizations are focused on specific kinds of cancer defined by the primary tumor, or support groups designed to help anyone living with cancer, but we need to focus on the psychological and emotional issues specific to advanced-stage cancers," said Michael Lundblad, President of The MetaCancer Foundation. "Turning Point and The MetaCancer Foundation believe that the way we cope with advanced cancer can affect how well we live and perhaps even how long we live. This new program will help further the missions of both organizations."

For more information on this new program or the room dedication, contact Turning Point at 8900 State Line Rd., #240, Shawnee Mission, KS 66206-1936. Phone: (913) 383-8700. Fax: (913) 383-2882 or e-mail.

About The MetaCancer Foundation
The mission of The MetaCancer Foundation is to provide inspiration and support for survivors and caregivers living with metastatic cancers. While cancer can begin anywhere in the body, it is designated as "metastatic" once it spreads to locations distant from the original tumor. Many non-profit organizations are dedicated to specific kinds of cancer defined by the primary tumor, but very few focus on cancer that has metastasized.

Metastatic cancers are often considered to be incurable or terminal, but The MetaCancer Foundation encourages survivors and caregivers to "go meta": to think about how one is confronting cancer and how one can positively construct that experience. MetaCancer encourages dialog among those with very different types of metastatic cancer (breast, prostate, colorectal, ovarian, bladder/urinary, skin, lung and others), even though respective treatment protocols and medical issues may seem to have little in common with each other. The common factor, unfortunately, is cure rates that are dramatically lower than the cure rates for early-stage or localized cancers. The psychological and emotional impact of this fact means that metastatic survivors and caregivers can have more in common with others confronting metastatic cancers, regardless of where they started, than with someone facing an early stage of the same type of cancer.

The MetaCancer Foundation is committed to addressing these unique needs and concerns. Other MetaCancer initiatives include its innovative website www.metacancer.org, funding for online support groups, and research grants and resource rooms in memory of Elizabeth Anne Prostic. More information on these grants is available at www.metacancer.org.
       
The MetaCancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to The MetaCancer Foundation, Inc., 11 North Washington Street, Suite 600, Rockville, MD 20850.

About Elizabeth Anne Prostic
The MetaCancer Foundation was established in honor and memory of Elizabeth "Lizzie" Anne Prostic, who refused to let a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer extinguish the fire of her indomitable spirit. She chose to live strong and focus on the fact that she had just as much right as anyone else to beat the odds. But she ran up against an enemy that was too strong and she was forced to yield, finally, after six months of battling. When she died on March 31, 2005, she was 31 years old. She left behind her 10-month-old daughter Harper and her husband Michael Lundblad, who founded MetaCancer to help others facing similar situations. Lizzie's spirit lives on through The MetaCancer Foundation and through the loving memories of all those inspired by her life.
       
About Turning Point
Turning Point: The Center for Hope and Healing is a Kansas City non-profit organization and facility that recognized that families facing a diagnosis of cancer and other serious or chronic illness are challenged with long and often fruitless searches for complementary therapies, support networks, and assistance in assembling and working with a health care team. Officially established as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization on March 21, 2001, Turning Point's genesis began more than a decade earlier with the work of Dr. Moira Mulhern. Dr. Mulhern had a vision to create a gathering place which would serve as a community resource for hope and healing. It is the only organization in the Kansas City area that provides innovative education and comprehensive support services to enhance the lives of adults and families living with cancer and any other serious or chronic illness. Thanks to the generosity of the community, Turning Point's meaningful programs are able to be offered free of charge, with donations being appreciated. More information on Turning Point can be found at: www.turningpointkc.org.

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