Brian Aylward, BS, CHES

Going through cancer treatment as a patient, family member or caregiver can take a lot of personal time. And we know that being in a hospital environment on a day-to-day basis can be exhausting. Here at the Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI), we aim to provide resources and access to services to help your mind, body and spirit heal.

One way we do this is through using innovative programs that help connect patients and family members to resources within the community. Recently, SCI has launched a new iPad Loan Program that puts interactive and educational resources right at your fingertips.

You can use the iPads while waiting in the lobby or even during treatment to:

The Swedish Cancer Institute has community partnerships with several local and national organizations that strive to promote education, hope and healing to newly diagnosed patients with cancer. Specifically, two local organizations have partnered with Swedish Cancer Institute in a unique way, offering moments of inspiration and comfort in times of distress. Northwest Hope & Healing and Thrive Through Cancer are two local non-profit organizations focused on offering assistance and support to those newly diagnosed with cancer and aim to empower and connect community members with resources needed to flourish....

For the past twelve years, Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) and Young Survival Coalition (YSC) have been hosting the Annual Conference for Young Women Affected by Breast Cancer, mainly known as C4YW. This year the conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Washington, on Seattle’s Eastside! This international conference is dedicated to the issues of young women affected by breast cancer, their family, friends and caregivers.

The Swedish Cancer Institute will have a table at the C4YW event and will have a group of experts to help answer any questions you may have, including:

• Melissa Kwaterski, Physical Therapist at Swedish Outpatient Physical Therapy will be available to answer questions about rehabilitation and more on Friday, February 22 from 4:30 – 6 p.m.

• Kathleen Pratt, N.D. from Northwest Natural Health will be answering questions about nutrition, weight loss and weight gain, hormonal changes, and more on Saturday, February 23 from 12 – 2 p.m.
• Lori Marshall, M.D., from Pacific Northwest Fertility will be answering questions about fertility and infertility including, In-Vitro fertilization, ovulation induction, egg freezing and preservation, and the egg donation program, and more on Saturday, February 23 from 12 – 2 p.m.

Come join us to learn more about resources and services available at the Swedish Cancer Institute, including:

• True Family Women’s Cancer Center

• Integrated Care Services

• Plugged-In To Your Health: Cancer Podcast Program

• The Perfect Fit Store at Swedish/Issaquah
• Quarterly newsletter, Patient Education Update

• Survivorship e-newsletter, Life to the Fullest

Also, don’t miss out on several opportunities for a chance to go home with a free give-a-way item, like the ‘Imagine’ glassybaby! There will be three ‘Imagine’ glassybaby’s being raffled off, and each of them have proceeds that are dedicated to the Cancer Patient Assistance Fund at the Swedish Cancer Institute. Check out the beautiful color below:

I know how overwhelming it can be when someone is diagnosed with cancer. A wealth of information is presented to you and a lot of it can be hard to remember. Yes, resource packets are wonderful tools and information sheets are extremely useful but sometimes sifting through all of the documents can be cumbersome, especially when you have specific questions. For this reason, the Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI) wants to ensure that you have access to education and information in a way that works for you.

SCI offers education programs to assist you, your family members and your caregivers in making treatment decisions, managing your symptoms, and accessing programs to help your mind, body and spirit to heal.

One of the programs is patient education classes. These classes offer practical tips that you and your family members can take home with you. The classes are intended to complement your treatment here at Swedish but also provide an opportunity where you can ask questions in a safe and secure environment.

Whether you are interested in exploring how the healing powers of art-making can help during your experience with cancer treatment or learning how naturopathic medicine complements conventional cancer treatments (or maybe you want to gain skills and confidence in creating hair alternatives) – whatever the area of focus is, we have classes that fit your needs:

If you are a patient, caregiver, family member, or friend – living with cancer can be stressful and often exhausting. Learning to manage stress and to relax the body can help you and your loved ones thrive through cancer. Yoga and deep breathing exercises are just two forms of stress relief that many individuals benefit from. The practice of these two exercises help to promote healing, while connecting the body, mind and spirit.

Here at the Swedish Cancer Institute, we offer yoga classes every quarter to help patients and family members undergoing treatment heal. Check out this quarters classes, Breathing for Stress Reduction and Yoga for Relaxation and Stress Relief to learn more about how yoga can improve your experience during cancer treatment:

Being diagnosed with cancer is the beginning of a difficult time. The entire process – from diagnosis to treatment to survivorship – can be exhausting. And, I am sure that when you have questions that come up, you would like to have them answered, respectfully and responsively.

As health professionals we want to ensure that you, your family, friends and caregivers have access to all resources available at the Swedish Cancer Institute (SCI). For this reason, Swedish launched a customized phone line tailored to the Cancer Institute where callers can find out more information on services available.

Whether you want to know more about different treatment options, learn more about research studies or locate community cancer resources, I am here to assist you. If you are a new patient and would like to be seen by a provider at the Swedish Cancer Institute, I can help get the process started for you by connecting you with the most appropriate SCI specialist.

To put a story behind the voice over the phone, I would like to officially introduce myself to the Swedish community! I am Swedish’s Integrated Care Services Coordinator and Telephone Liaison for the Swedish Cancer Institute and True Family Women’s Cancer Center – which means I get to work with the entire network of Swedish campuses (including First Hill, Cherry Hill, Issaquah, Ballard and Edmonds) and can help you get connected to the appropriate areas of service that you may need.

I can help to answer any questions you may have, or connect you to the following: