Cancer impacts everyone. Whether it be a family member or a friend, cancer touches many individuals, from direct diagnoses or the diagnosis of a loved one. There are a number of programs designed to help those with cancer fight their battle, one being a very unique facility located here, in the North Shore. This year, the Cancer Wellness Center caught DHS’s attention, as it was chosen by student council to be voted on as one of the beneficiaries for school chest earlier this school year. The Cancer Wellness Center is a supportive facility that provides programs in various disciplines that educate people with cancer and their loved ones.

The Cancer Wellness Center provides programs for over 1,400 North Shore residents. The non-profit organization provides a wide-range of supportive programs such as counseling, nutrition classes, and lectures that provide specific information to help with the multiple aspects that come with battling cancer. In recent years, the organization has seen a steady growth in numbers as people start to recognize how beneficial the programs are seeking help in fighting cancer.

Jennifer Briggs, program director at the Cancer Wellness Center, states how the mission of the Cancer Wellness Center is to improve the overall well-being of those facing the impact of cancer.

Briggs states, “Our mission is to improve the emotional and physical well being of people affected by cancer. We do that through supportive care…we help them in the healing process through our wellness classes and activities.”

When North Shore resident Cynthia Lund was diagnosed, she immediately knew that Cancer Wellness Center was the best place to gain control of her situation as she saw how helpful the organization was when her mother was diagnosed about twenty years ago.

Lund spoke confidently on the vast opportunities provided at the Cancer Wellness Center stating, “I think overall what I really loved was just the vast array of opportunities for a cancer patient. There were lectures, there were speakers, there was yoga, acupuncture reiki, counseling… it was just such a nice diverse selection that I really felt like…I could take advantage of them all or some.”

When separates this non-profit from others in the area is that the immense help they serve is provided free of charge. No matter the program, or if the patient is in treatment or has recently gone into remission, Cancer Wellness Center gives their members each program free of charge. Members of the North Shore community are able to battle their fight with cancer without having to worry about the burden of paying for this aspect of their treatment.

“We don’t charge anything for any of our programs or services so things like counseling and the type of wellness activities that people can get here are really valuable in helping people heal from cancer,” Briggs states.

While in search for a beneficiary for school chest earlier this school year, co-chairs Juniors Tyler Jensen and Jessica Kaplan were looking for a local charity that had a profound overall cause and a strong impact on the Deerfield community.

“We look at overall cause, that one isn’t as important because all of the causes we receive are really good causes so that really doesn’t narrow it down as much. But then we also look at how the local impact relates to the students and the community of Deerfield, and Cancer Wellness Center affected a ton of students at this school” Jensen stated.

Jensen recalled a specific story about an 80 year-old man who went to Cancer Wellness Center to gain tools on how to present the diagnosis to his wife, which made him understand the profound impact the Cancer Wellness Center had on the community.

“They told me about how an 80-year old man came in and he went to the Cancer Wellness Center to ask how he would present to his wife how he had just found out that he had cancer, because he didn’t know how to tell her.” Jensen stated.

Lund also knows how her loved ones benefited from the Cancer Wellness Center as she and her husband utilized the couples counseling as they were transitioning from going through treatment back to normal day to day life. Lund found the sense of control she had lost after her diagnosis through the programs at the non-profit conveniently located in Northbrook.

“Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It’s any age, any race, any size, any gender so as a result something that feels once you get get diagnosed, something that feels completely out of your control is really overwhelming. And so what the Cancer Wellness Center does is help you feel in control…I am empowered to work on my own recovery. And that’s what it was for me was, I felt empowered through their programming that I could beat cancer, and I could win,” Lund recalled.

Lund has won her battle and is in remission today. Lund notes how she would not have been able to do it without the Cancer Wellness Center.

“I could not have healed physically, emotionally, or spiritually, without the cancer wellness center on my side. And I’m cancer-free today because of my team of doctors and the Cancer Wellness Center,” Lund stated.