More help for those who are dealing with cancer. Cancer Hope Network has been around for 40 years, but now it will have trained volunteers at all Atlantic Health oncology locations in New Jersey.
Beth Blakey, daughter-in-law of jazz great Art Blakey, runs it. She said the volunteers provide all kinds of support.
“They’re there to listen to the needs of the person going through cancer, to share their own experience, to offer practical tips for how to navigate things like treatment side effects,” said Blakey, who added that every patient’s needs are different.
"Sometimes people will come to us with an upcoming procedure and they have one question and they want to ask that one question, and get an answer from somebody who’s been there,” she said. “And we have other people who are looking for that really intense connection and somebody they can reach out to at any time.”
The hospitals that have these volunteers are the Chilton, Hackettstown, Morristown, Newton and Overlook medical centers. Chilton is in Pompton Plains and Overlook is in Summit.
Blakey said for one patient with throat cancer, it didn’t take much to solve a problem with swallowing. She said the volunteer had this advice.
“When you’re drinking try and tilt your head to the opposite side from where your surgery was so it won’t hit that incision site. Something so simple, right?” said Blakey.
If you would like to become a volunteer or know of someone in need of help, visit cancerhopenetwork.org.