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POGO > Blog > mental health
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Tag: mental health


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

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

Still Standing by Jamie Irvine

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Kelly Zorzi

Jamie holding one of his TWO diplomas with honours

#BellLetsTalk #mentalhealthawareness

My cancer was discovered late. Doctors estimated that even with a bone marrow transplant my odds were still only 55% at best.

Three years of treatment (including two failed bone marrow transplants) resulted in a plethora of late effects: cataracts, preset osteoporosis, stunted growth, damage to my pancreas, changes in my skin pigmentation and a few others. That said, for me the worst part was not the effects on my body but the mental impact of it all. There was the feeling of isolation that came with being a kid in cancer treatment during my formative years; the fear of relapse and believing I was just on “borrowed time”; the self-deprecating thoughts that I didn’t earn my grades, my teachers just pitied me; and finally, the guilt of surviving when others did not.

Many of us childhood cancer survivors know at least one person who did not make it. I actually know a few but the one who stands out for me is Andy. Andy came to our school in grade 10 after just having finished treatment for leukemia. I thought we would bond over our shared cancer experience, but it turned out Andy wasn’t interested in talking about his illness. Still we became fast friends. In grade 12 when he relapsed, doctors gave him a low chance of survival. He decided to forgo treatment and within a few months, Andy passed away. I remember when I got the news one of the first things to pop into my head was, “I wish it was me.” To this day, the guilt of that being one of my first thoughts has etched itself into my brain and soul.

When high school ended, I decided to push the negative thoughts deep down. At that time, I decided to go to college for social work. I often tell people that I chose the field because I wanted to give something back for all the help I received. In reality that is only partially true. The other reason was that I wanted to make sure no other kid turned out like me.

After completing a Bachelor’s in Social Work from Carleton University, I was only able to get part-time work. I was seriously underemployed and despite my efforts, had difficulty launching a full-time career. All of those negative thoughts started to bubble to the top. The voice in the back of my mind told me I was broken and worthless and within a short period, I started to believe it. I secretly wished that I had died during my treatment or that I would develop a secondary cancer. I had hit rock bottom.

It was during a routine checkup at Princess Margaret Hospital that I met a nurse practitioner who sensed something was off and asked some questions. It was the first time in years that someone in the healthcare field seemed to care about my mental state (not just the physical) and it just all came bursting out. She recommended therapy and gave me the contact information for the survivor care program at POGO.

With a few months, my confidence started to grow. I was volunteering at POGO and I started to get interviews with government agencies and major non-profits. Even though I was not hired, I always received great feedback and was often told that I was within the top three final candidates.

Soon a position opened up at POGO and I was recommended for the job. To my surprise, I got it and now work as an Administrative Assistant to the POGO Financial Assistance Program. Even though I still have moments where negative thoughts creep into my mind, I feel as if this is where I belong and thanks to my supervisor and the other POGO staff, I continue to grow both on a personal and professional level.

I now know that I am not worthless and broken. And although treatment has left me physically and mentally battered and bruised, I am still standing.

For more on survivor guilt, read Leanne Brown’s story The Burden of Surviving Childhood Cancer.

Posted in This is My Story | Tagged emotional health, Jamie Irvine, mental health

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March 27, 2023

Our trauma-informed care webinar series starts tomorrow! Register for free and join us for a session about shifting the conversation from “what’s wrong with you?” to “what happened to you?” https://www.pogo.ca/education/virtual-education/

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