On Tuesday, June 28, Gilda’s Club Quad Cities will observe the Community Is Stronger than Cancer Day through its involvement with the Cancer Support Community’s (CSC) dedicated global network.
The event is a day of awareness highlighting CSC, Gilda’s Club and healthcare partners and their active mission to provide free support and resources to everyone impacted by cancer.
To mark the day, Gilda’s Club Quad Cities is asking supporters to help the network reach even more impacted people by sharing its social media posts using hashtags #CelebrateCSCGC #CommunityisStrongerThanCancer.
If you would like to donate funds in honor of someone who has faced a cancer diagnosis visit https://gcqc.gnosishosting.net/Community. All money raised will stay in the Quad Cities to help local families living with cancer.
For more information about Gilda’s programs and services, visit www.gildasclubqc.org.
The Community is Stronger celebration coincides with the birthday of Saturday Night Live star Gilda Radner, whose cancer experience inspired the creation of Gilda’s Club.
In 2009, Gilda’s Club and The Wellness Community merged to form the Cancer Support Community. To this day, Gilda’s legacy lives on in these spaces.
Gilda’s Club Quad Cities is one of 175 locations in the United States and beyond that make up a network where cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and loved one’s access free emotional support, healthy lifestyle activities, social connection, education, and referral services provided with compassion and expertise—in person or online.
Across all locations, the network has served 1.67 million participants since its inception with 327,397 visits in 2021.
“I wish I would have joined at the point of diagnosis. It would have eliminated the trial and error I went through when I could have asked advice in the support group, you know, someone who has been there,” said Julie Hayes, a Quad Cities participant and volunteer. “I have lobular carcinoma. I never realized how much Gilda’s helped me, it has been extremely rewarding. It has been so helpful. I thought I could do this on my own.”
In addition to having support in their community, participants are presented opportunities to join forces with others from partner locations to advocate on issues important to cancer patients at the state and national levels and to contribute to important research inspiring positive change in cancer care.
Joy McMeekan, executive director of Gilda’s Club Quad Cities, said: “Every day I am inspired by the work we do for cancer patients and their families. Hearing from members and watching families find hope through the programs that we offer encourages me to continue to raise awareness about the services we provide. We know that cancer can be a very lonely and isolating disease, but with the services provided by Gilda’s Club it doesn’t have to be.”
Gilda’s Club provides support by connecting cancer patients and their families with others that understand first-hand what they are going through, to connect them to educational programs to empower them to make the decisions that are right for them All these services are provided at no cost to anyone that is impacted by cancer.
