KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Requests for one-on-one meetings at the Kansas City, Missouri, chapter of a cancer support organization have just about doubled since the pandemic.
The program director of Gilda’s Club Kansas City thinks having to go into isolation and wear a mask to protect yourself from COVID-19 could bring back bad memories for cancer survivors who’ve gone through similar experiences while on chemotherapy.
Those former patients and people in all stages of the fight with cancer rely on in-person meetings inside the club’s location near 43rd and Main streets to give them support they need. Because of social distancing rules, Gilda’s Club cannot have groups gather inside.
Now those support groups, workshops, and educational seminars take place online using a HIPPA-compliant version of Zoom video chat software designed to add a few more layers of security to guarantee only people who are supposed to be in the chat are in the conversation.
A cancer survivor whose father was recently diagnosed with cancer said the online group meetings give her a chance to laugh - the organization is named after comedian Gilda Radner after all.
“We laugh like crazy and we laugh at things other people would probably think are very inappropriate when you have cancer. If you don't laugh about it, you're going to cry and some days you don't wanna cry. You're just tired of crying,” Jenny Marshall admitted.
The program director said keeping up the club’s services during the pandemic provides some reassurances, aside from just laughter.
“Being able to really show them that people still care about them, that people are still thinking of them, and that everything they're experiencing is normal from what we know. We can validate it's ok to be terrified, angry and sad, but you're also loved and we can hold you up and support you in that way,” explained Clara Anderson Sainte, the program director.
Gilda’s Club said family members often become primary caregivers, so it launched virtual meetings for people like Marshall’s mother to remind them to take time for themselves and find outlets for their stress.
For more information on the free services Gilda’s Club provides, or to make a donation to the group, click here.
