The Importance of Winterlark to the Cancer Patient Support Program

Winterlark is an annual event held in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to benefit the Cancer Patient Support Program (CPSC) at Wake Forest Baptist Health.

Learn more about Winterlark: http://www.wakehealth.edu/Winterlark/

Learn more about the CPSC: http://www.wakehealth.edu/Comprehensi...

TRANSCRIPT: RICHARD McQUELLON/PULMONOLOGY: There's something very special about the Winterlark fundraiser in that it's touched the heart of the community and reached into the lives of patients in our Comprehensive Cancer Center in concrete ways.
The Cancer Patient Support Program, or CPSP, consists of a group of professionals and volunteers who provide supportive care services and survivorship services within our Comprehensive Cancer Center.
One of the most important activities of the Cancer Patient Support Program team is listening carefully and responding thoughtfully to patients who are in great distress. As you may know, most cancer patients are shocked by the initial diagnosis and listening to their story makes a big difference.
There are a group of seven professionals who provide counseling, patient education, patient assistance, listening, and a number of different groups- support groups- within the medical center.
And we have about 30 volunteers who are here anywhere from four to eight hours per week, who provide hospitality in our clinics for patients who are sometimes here for as long as six to eight hours.
One common experience for cancer patients is to feel invisible after diagnosis. They feel lost because often their role in life has changed. They're no longer going to work, or they're placed on bed rest, or having to interrupt their plans due to the regular cycles of chemotherapy.
What we try to provide is hope and care and the prospect of returning to a life that has been lost temporarily.
Winterlark is one extremely important lifeline for the Cancer Patient Support Program. It provides a direct link to our community of supporters and provides the supporters a connection to this wonderful healing Comprehensive Cancer Center.
I want to thank you for your kindness and generosity, for giving to our program. You allow us to give back to our patients each and every day to make a difference. Thank you.