Las Cruces Sun-News Helps Get Word Out About Cancer Resource Center

Vicki Nisbett, of the Las Cruces Sun-News ("Healthy U" magazine), did an extensive article and a photo on the Las Cruces Cancer Resource Center (LCCRC) which was posted on the paper's Web site January 5. This CRC is located inside the Southern New Mexico Cancer Center (SNMCC) in Las Cruces and provides free services and support for cancer patients, their family and friends, and caretakers. The article provides info about the CRC and lets the local community know we have volunteer opportunities available. The LCCRC Chair Marie Roberts was interviewed as well as SNMCC Doctor Constance Wash. The Society appreciates Vicki Nisbett's and the Sun-News' help in getting the word out. To view the article online please click on the following link: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-healthy_u/ci_14126735

Giving Back to the Roswell Community--Wayne Kirkpatrick

Wayne Kirkpatrick, of Roswell Radio, helped develop a public service announcement for the American Cancer Society's Cancer Resource Center in Roswell, NM. The PSA was developed for free and will air in the coming months to help the community there become more aware of the free services and programs available at the resource center located inside the Eastern NM Medical Center. The PSA will also hopefully attract more volunteers to help the society provide those services and programs. At a young age Kirkpatrick lost his mother to cancer and he felt it was important to help others in his community battling this disease.

RUNNER'S WORLD to Feature Cancer Activist's Journey Across Three States - PRNewsChannel.com

RUNNER'S WORLD to Feature Cancer Activist's Journey Across Three States - PRNewsChannel.com

Dustin Hucks 1,300 journey on foot in support of his Aunt Debbie, who is battling cancer, and the American Cancer Society took him from Southern California through Arizona and New Mexico on his way to Texas. On his journey to raise awareness and money for the American Cancer Society he encountered many obtacles. However, he also found many unexpected friends and supporters from Society staff to complete strangers. Read more about his journey in the upcoming April 2010 issue of Runner's World.

Please Join Us for the 2010 ACS CAN New Mexico Lobby Day on January 28!

Courtesy Paula Wackenheim,
ACS CAN New Mexico Staff *


Please Join Us for the 2010 ACS CAN New Mexico Lobby Day!

Who: Cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and advocates

What: Advocate for Legislation that will benefit cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and their family and friends.

When: Thursday January 28, 2010 from 9:30.a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Press Conference at 1 p.m. in the Capitol Rotunda

Where: Roundhouse - Santa Fe, New Mexico

Why: In a very tight fiscal year for the state of New Mexico we need advocates like you who are willing to advocate so that important programs like the New Mexico Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and Tobacco Use Prevention and Control Programs don’t face cuts. We will also be advocating for a tobacco tax, which will help the state generate revenue and curb the rates of youth who start smoking – a Win-Win for the state of New Mexico.

Transportation: There will be two groups meeting to take the RailRunner to Santa Fe, if you would like to join them they will be meeting at the Bernallio County RailRunner Station (off of Rio Bravo in ABQ) at 7:00 am or at the Los Ranchos/Journal Center station at 7:25am. The groups will be riding the 4:10pm train back from Santa Fe and will be arriving in ABQ between 5:30-6pm depending upon which stop.

If you choose to drive parking is available at Garrett's Desert Lodge in Santa Fe for $7 for the day.

Additional Details:

Lobby Day this year will consist of legislative visits and a press conference at 1pm in the Capitol Rotunda. Those planning to attend Lobby Day will be asked to attend a pre-lobby day training phone call on either Monday January 25 or Wednesday January 27at 4 p.m.

On Lobby Day, Thursday January 28, attendees will pick up a lobby day “survival kit”, which will include a light breakfast, and make visits to their legislators’ offices. Attendees will also be asked to attend the press conference at 1 p.m.

If you are unable to attend Lobby Day, please plan on participating in our statewide call-in day, which will occur in conjunction with Lobby Day on January 28. More details to follow.

For additional information please contact Paula Wackenheim at paula.wackenheim@cancer.org

*ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit www.acscan.org.

Seventeen local women donate hair to help cancer patients

UNM School of Medicine in conjunction with the
American Cancer Society and local salon team up for charity event

Mary Seiler, a 2nd year medical student at the University of New Mexico, displays the hair she donated December 5 at a local Pantene Beautiful Lengths event – a charity hair cutting event to benefit women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a program done in partnership with the American Cancer Society. As wigs are created, they are distributed by the Society for free through wig banks in New Mexico and across the country. Seiler was one of 17 women who donated at this event. The organizers from the UNM School of Medicine were Brandy Padilla-Jones and Micaela Esquivel and the salon who hosted the event and donated their time for the cuts was Skin Bliss in Old Town. Women facing cancer can find out about the availability of a wig by calling the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345. The Society can also help callers with a number of resources providing educational and emotional support.

American Cancer Society Cancer Survivor College Scholarship Program

The American Cancer Society Cancer Survivor College Scholarship Program gives young cancer survivors the opportunity to pursue their post-secondary education from an accredited university, community college, or vocational technical school.

Eligibility
•Must be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 21. Applicants must be age 25 or younger at the time of application.
•Scheduled to graduate from high school and/or continuing college in the upcoming school year.
•Must be a U.S. citizen and a resident of Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming.
•Accepted without condition to an accredited university, college, community college or vocational technical school.
•Must have a 2.5 GPA or above.
•Must become a full time student at an accredited university, college, community college or vocational technical school in the upcoming academic year.

Award
The American Cancer Society Cancer Survivor College Scholarship program provides funds each academic year in increments of $2,500 per student. Recipients have a lifetime scholarship limit of $10,000. After the initial award, scholarship renewal in subsequent years is based on successfully meeting program eligibility requirements, continuous academic achievement, and level of commitment as an American Cancer Society volunteer. A previous award recipient is not guaranteed a scholarship award. Due to limited resources, the American Cancer Society is not able to award scholarships to all cancer survivors.

Obtaining an Application Packet
Application packets can be requested by calling the Great West Division Patient Service Center at 1.866.500.3272 or the National Cancer Information Center at 1.800.227.2345.

Application deadline for the 2010 scholarship program is February 26, 2010.

"Bras Across the Bosque"

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month was nearing the end on Friday, October 30, local Clear Channel radio station KPEK-100.3 “The Peak” along with the American Cancer Society and The Peak's sister station KZRR 94 Rock hosted an event dubbed “Bras Across the Bosque" in which hundreds of bras were strung across the Montano Bridge in Albuquerque to help raise awareness about breast cancer.

The event got the attention of the local media as well as numerous commuters crossing the bridge during morning rush hour. The event was generously sponsored by Lovelace Women’s Hospital and M&F Auto Sales. Albuquerque Tents donated supplies to display the bras.

Bras were collected from community members throughout the month at various Lovelace Health System locations, M&F Auto Sales locations, the Peak Studios as well as at the University of New Mexico by members of Colleges Against Cancer. After the event’s conclusion the donated bras were donated to the Storehouse to be cleaned and available for those in need.

Crew from the radio station joined with Society staff Geraldine Esquivel, district executive director for NM; Mike Radigan, executive director for NM, Enrico Jeantete, lead community relationship manager and event organizer; John Weisgerber, regional communications manager for the Society; and John Patrick Weisgerber, 12-year-old volunteer, to string the bras together in the early hours before the morning commute.

More than 192,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer this year, and more than 40,000 will die from the disease. This year about 1,090 women in New Mexico will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and approximately 240 die from breast cancer. Awareness is important because treatment works best when breast cancer is diagnosed at an early stage.