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Finding Strength by Embracing my Vulnerability

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Claire Slaughter

Dealing with trauma, anxiety and depression as a two-time leukemia survivor, Marell Tomeh shares her story

When I was 19, I was starting to make decisions about where my life would take me. I was planning a trip with friends, working hard at university and thinking long-term about my aspirations. This came to a sudden halt the moment I was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

I cancelled my trip, but didn’t want to burden my friends with my bad news. I had always been the one to support other people, rarely asking for help myself. To protect my vulnerability and preserve some sense of normalcy, I kept my diagnosis private, and in retrospect, this is probably the worst thing I could have done.

I spent much of the next two years of my treatment worrying about who knew what, and about people seeing me without hair and potentially judging my significant weight gain, not knowing the steroids I was taking contributed to this. The medication caused my mood to fluctuate, making my mental health harder to manage. I had trouble managing my expectations of myself, comparing myself to my peers and feeling a sense of urgency to “catch up.”

Virtual Counselling can Help Childhood Cancer Survivors

I fell into a deep depression and it took some time to acknowledge it and admit that I was struggling. I became more and more anxious in public and social settings. I developed a stutter and felt as though I had lost my sense of humour and ability to engage in conversation. Socializing became awkward and uncomfortable, and schoolwork became frustrating.

A few years after my treatment ended, I relapsed. This time, I needed a bone marrow donor and had no choice but to open up about my cancer. This made a huge difference in my mental health and my healing. I stopped seeing vulnerability as a weakness and, as a result, quit being so afraid.

A cancer diagnosis interrupts life. As a young adult with cancer I feel like my life milestones have been pushed back and I am falling further behind all of my peers. Before my diagnosis, I took pride in knowing I worked well under pressure and could multitask with ease. I thought getting back to school would help me get back to ”normal,” but I am still struggling with “chemo brain’” and dealing with the repercussions—mental and physical—that come with cancer, and find it all too stressful and overwhelming.

Surviving Childhood Cancer: From Confidence Buster to Confidence Builder

After going through something as traumatic as cancer, my stress response has become more sensitive. So, I have decided to take some time away from school and work to care for myself. I am re-examining my priorities and figuring out how to build a meaningful life that can also support my real-world concerns, like finding health coverage for my ongoing medical expenses.

My goal is to use my cancer experience to help other people. I want to create a safe space for other patients and survivors to express themselves and support their healing. Nothing good comes from leaving your wounds unattended but we can find strength in acknowledging and embracing them.


Marell Tomeh is a two-time leukemia survivor and bone marrow transplant recipient. As a young adult cancer survivor, Marell shares her story and hopes to shed light on the obstacles associated with trauma, anxiety and depression.

 

Marell shared her story first-hand on May 14 at 2021 POGO AfterCare Education Day, where she spoke about The Lived Experience: Navigating School and Work after Cancer.

Posted in In the News | Tagged aftercare education day, AYA survivors, mental health

Mental Health Support for Childhood Cancer Survivors

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Claire Slaughter

$1M Donation to Help POGO Transitions Program Expand Services


POGO is a proud recipient of a $1M donation from the Slaight Family Foundation as part of their $30M Mental Health Initiative supporting 19 Canadian organizations.

The funding, divided equally over four years, enables expansion of the POGO School and Work Transitions Program. This program supports childhood cancer survivors facing significant learning challenges—resulting from their cancer and/or treatment—which can interfere with their ability to achieve their educational and career goals. Furthermore, the impact of COVID-19 on the mental and emotional well-being of childhood cancer survivors has been substantial. Many are experiencing heightened anxiety regarding school or job security. Due to underlying conditions they may have as a result of their disease or its treatment, they fear they are at higher risk for developing complications if they catch COVID-19.

POGO Counsellors work one-on-one with survivors to help them develop plans and implement strategies to improve their academic or employment success, which in turn supports their mental health and emotional well-being. POGO will expand school- and work-related counselling to childhood cancer survivors, including services for francophone survivors and youth still on treatment, and grow the skill- and community-building Survivor-to-Survivor Network. We will also enhance program evaluation by incorporating outcomes related to survivor mental health and emotional well-being.

This generous investment, the largest donation from a family foundation in POGO’s history, helps POGO achieve an objective of the Childhood Cancer Care Plan to improve access to psychosocial and mental health services for survivors. It also demonstrates confidence and trust by a prominent donor in POGO to positively impact the childhood cancer care system, in particular care for childhood cancer survivors. 

Posted in In the News | Tagged childhood cancer survivors, Donation, mental health, POGO Transitions Program, Slaight Family Foundation

MY CHILD SURVIVED CANCER, SO WHY AM I DISTRESSED?

Posted on January 29, 2020 by Claire Slaughter

At 10 years old, Tyler was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer called acute myeloid leukemia. His only chance for survival was a stem cell transplant. With no full match on the horizon, his brother Jahni (a partial match) eventually became his donor. Read the full story: How Jahni Saved His Brother’s Life. 


By: Melody D

It was only five months between Tyler’s diagnosis and his last cancer treatment, but every moment during that period was so intense and foreign to anything I’d ever experienced; it actually felt like years.

When we were in the hospital, my friends and family would comment on how admirable it was that I could stay calm and strong through it all. Looking back, I really don’t know how I managed. Two years later, my anxiety is still overwhelming and at times I find it hard to cope with the normal things. For example, if my son comes home tired from school, I panic and look for other symptoms like a temperature. The thought of him going on an overnight school trip will trigger my anxiety and “what ifs”. My mind thinks of worst-case scenarios and I get overwhelmed. The post-traumatic stress is very real.

What it takes to be a “strong mom” changes when your child is a cancer survivor.

Sometimes people ask why I’m stressed—after all, Tyler is in remission and doing exceptionally well. I can’t explain it except to say that when your child is diagnosed with cancer, your body and mind go into survival mode; you have no other choice. I did what I needed to do to get through it one day at a time. I wasn’t able to fully process everything that was happening at the time, so I guess this is what I’m doing now—processing it.

POGO-supported research explores the mental health of mothers and siblings of children with cancer.

Tyler has crossed many milestones which I’m grateful for, but there are days when I dwell on uncertainty. Vivid memories randomly pop up when I do normal things, like run errands or when I’m driving. Some good, some not so good. Sometimes memories make me cry. When I have these days, I can get sad, irritable or worried. It’s a unique thing to go through, to say the least, but talking through it with other cancer moms who can relate is very helpful.

Perhaps I’ll feel better when he hits the third-year remission mark, or fourth, or fifth—I don’t know. For now, if I’m feeling crappy, I won’t suppress it. I acknowledge that I’m still healing and let myself feel my way through my emotions one day at a time.

Posted in Misc | Tagged AML, anxiety, BellLetsTalk, Childhood Cancer Survivor, mental health, Mental Health Awareness, parenting, psychosocial

Workshop – Strategies for Optimizing Community Resources to Address Mental Health Issues

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Jamie Irvine

VIEW THE PRESENTATION

Presentation Description:
This workshop will explore the complexities of managing mental health symptoms when they arise during treatment, as well as potential collaborative models of care to help facilitate improved quality of life outcomes for this population of children and families.

Speakers:
Jane Cassano, MSW, RSW
Pediatric Oncology Social Worker, McMaster Children’s Hospital, Hamilton, ON

Jane Cassano has been a pediatric oncology social worker at McMaster Children’s Hospital for the past 18 years. Her focus has been adolescents with cancer and their transition to off therapy. In recent years, Jane has been advocating for mental health services for pediatric oncology patients.

Danielle Cataudella, PsyD, CPsych
Clinical Psychologist, Departments of Pediatric Psychology and Oncology, Children’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, London, ON Adjunct Professor Schools of Medicine and Psychology, Western University, London, ON

Danielle Cataudella is a clinical psychologist at Children’s Hospital, London, Ontario. She completed her doctoral degree and residency program in 2002, and is registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario with specialized practice in health and rehabilitation across the lifespan. For the past 15 years, the focus of her work has been in the area of pediatric oncology. She has been involved in multi-centre provincial and national research studies including validation of a family distress screening tool in Ontario, the development of an instrument to assess quality of life in children with advanced cancers, and a social skills intervention for childhood brain tumour survivors. Dr. Cataudella is a member of the Children’s Oncology Group’s Behavioural Science Discipline and is actively involved in the Patient-Reported Outcomes Sub-Committee. She has served on several POGO committees, currently acting as Co-Chair of the Psychosocial Services Committee and member of the Provincial Research Unit; she is also collaborating with the Supportive Care Committee on the development of fatigue guidelines for this population.

Posted in 2017 Satellite Education Day | Tagged 2017 Satellite Education Day, emotional health, mental health, patient care

Managing Behavioural Changes During Treatment for Leukemia

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Jamie Irvine

 


VIEW THE PRESENTATION

Speaker:
Nina Kadan-Lottick, MD, MSPH
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director of HEROS Survivorship Program
Leader Clinical Trial Program
Section of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT

Dr. Kadan-Lottick, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist, is an Associate Professor at the Yale University School of Medicine and Director of the Yale HEROS Program for childhood cancer survivors. Dr. Kadan-Lottick’s research has concentrated on measuring and optimizing outcomes after treatment of childhood cancer, with an emphasis on leukemia. These studies have included cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of chemotherapy-induced cognitive changes, anxiety and depression, and family functioning during and after therapy. She was the principal investigator of two large multi-site longitudinal studies of quality of life outcomes and emotional functioning in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia enrolled on front-line Children’s Oncology Group (COG) clinical trials. As a part of her focus on survivorship outcomes, Dr. Kadan-Lottick serves on the Children’s Oncology Group Survivorship Steering Committee, the Psychology Committee of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Cohort Study, Consortium for New England Childhood Cancer Survivors Steering Committee, and the Board of Trustees for the Connecticut Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She has also helped to author and revise the COG Long-Term Follow-up Guidelines.

Posted in 2016 Symposium | Tagged emotional health, leukemia, mental health, Symposium 2016

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