Calendar & Events

Radiation Therapy
A Learn at Lunch Event
Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.  (Check-in begins at 11:45 a.m.)
Speaker: Jean Courquin, R.N.
Register early to reserve your seat to this brown bag lunch event.
Where: UC Davis Cancer Center Auditorium, 4501 X St., Sacramento
For information or to register: Call Patricia Robinson at (916) 734-0823 or e-mail patricia.robinson@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Joan Giboney Tree of Hope "Untrimming" Party
December 10, 2009, noon - 4 p.m.
Help raise money for cancer research and add new ornaments to your tree at the annual Joan Giboney Tree of Hope untrimming party and ornament sale.  The professionally decorated tree, trimmed with designer ornaments and thousands of lights, is the legacy of the late Joan Giboney, a Lodi interior designer who wanted to raise the spirits of her fellow cancer patients during the holidays. Her family and friends have carried on the tradition in her memory.  Proceeds from the ornament sale go to breast cancer research at the UC Davis Cancer Center.
Where: Cancer Center lobby, 4501 X St, Sacramento
Maps and directions to the Cancer Center are available online by clicking here.

Triumph Fitness Program for Cancer Survivors
The Triumph Fitness Program is a 10-week strength-and-fitness program for people who have recently completed cancer treatment.  Participants build muscle mass and strength, increase flexibility and endurance, and improve their capacity to perform activities of daily living, from work to play. Triumph may also help to reduce the severity of cancer side effects, prevent unwanted weight changes and improve participants' energy levels and self-esteem. 
The Triumph Fitness Program is being offered at two locations:
      Mondays and Wednesdays beginning September 28, 2009, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
Where: 15th Street Fitness, 109 15th Street, West Sacramento
      Mondays and Wednesdays beginning October 12, 2009, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Savvy Fitness, 81 Blue Ravine Road, Suite 140, Folsom
Instructors:  Certified instructors provide personal, small-group instruction. 
Participants: Triumph is open to survivors who have completed treatment as well as those nearing the end of treatment.
Cost: There is no cost to participants.
For information or to register: Call Patricia Robinson at (916) 734-0823 or e-mail patricia.robinson@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Recent Events

Stem Cell Dialogues — An Ongoing Discussion of Stem Cell Research and Therapies in California's Capital
Focusing on Cancer

Alexander D. Borowsky

Fredric A. Gorin

Jan A. Nolta

Wednesday, November 4, 2009,   6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Join us for our third community forum about stem cell research and therapies.  UC Davis experts, including stem cell program director Jan Nolta, neurologist Fredric Gorin, and surgical pathologist Alexander Borowsky, will provide insights about the latest research and answer your questions about the use of stem cells to understand and treat various forms of cancer. 
Participants:  This conference is open to the public.
Where:  UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute Auditorium, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento
Cost:  FREE!   Free parking is also available off of 50th Street.
To register: Please RSVP early, as seating is limited.  Call Kathleen Lopez at (916) 734-9617 or e-mail kathleen.lopez@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

A Special One Day Event
An Open Space Conversation - Why Are So Many People Dying Needlessly from Cancer and What Can We Do About It  
Friday, November 6, 2009, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  (Sign-In from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m.)
You are invited to a unique conference designed to be highly interactive, fun and productive where you create the agenda out of your interests, concerns and passions.  This event will bring researchers, faculty, students, and community groups together to address disparities in cancer incidence, mortality, treatment, and survivorship.  We hope you will join us and be prepared to be amazed at what a group of dedicated people can achieve! 
There are many questions we hope to address during the course of the conference, such as:

• How well do you know the resources and needs of your own community (neighborhood, church, work, academic setting)?
• How can your community support this effort?
• How can we move beyond what we know today about cancer health equity?
• What are the societal, environment and economic barriers to cancer prevention?
• Why should we care about this problem?
• How can communities and academic researchers work together to eliminate cancer disparities and increase equity?
• Why should we address cancer disparities when there are other compelling issues of survival?
• What attitudes and beliefs limit our progress in cancer prevention and care? 

Please note: It is critical that you be present at the start of the Conference so that you can help create the day’s agenda.  This conference is sponsored by the UC Davis Cancer Center/Sacramento State Partnership Board, the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center, the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities and the UC Davis Cancer Center.
Participants:   This conference is open to all interested community members, educators, researchers, clinicians, students.
Where:  Sacramento State Alumni Center, 6000 J St., State University Drive South, Sacramento, CA, 95819
Cost:  FREE!   Free parking is also available.  Breakfast, lunch and afternoon refreshments provided.
To register: Please visit http://www.csus.edu/research/collaborations/cancer/registration.htm.  Attendance is limited to the first 125 registrants, so register today!
For more information: Call Patricia Robinson at (916) 734-0823 or e-mail patricia.robinson@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

 WeCARE! Breast Cancer Peer Navigator Program Representatives on Hand at Selected Safeway Stores Throughout the Sacramento Region
Weekdays in October between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and on weekends between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Representatives from the UC Davis Cancer Center WeCARE! Breast Cancer Peer Navigator Program, which links newly diagnosed breast cancer patients with trained breast cancer survivors, will be on hand at Safeway stores in and around Sacramento to provide information on services and programs offered through the UC Davis Cancer Center.  Unique in the western United States, WeCARE! provides experienced, trained breast cancer survivors as “coaches” to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients.  Peer navigators help ease the patient’s anxiety before their first oncology appointment and may accompany the patient to appointments, as well as provide ongoing support throughout the course of treatment.  At selected stores throughout the region program representatives will be available to talk about the program, and customers interested in being part of WeCARE! can sign up to begin the process.  Throughout October, Safeway customers also will be able to write messages of hope on a paper flower, which will be provided to patients at the UC Davis Cancer Center clinic and infusion center. Other information about outreach research, education and survivorship programs also will be available, as well as note cards from the UC Davis Cancer Center’s Healing Arts and Art Therapy Project for children which are also open to cancer patients and their families throughout the region.
Where: Safeway stores in Auburn, Davis, Elk Grove, Lincoln, Sacramento, and Rancho Cordova.
For information: Call Patricia Robinson at (916) 734-0823 or e-mail patricia.robinson@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.

Writing As Healing
The Writing As Healing  group provides a supportive place for expression through writing. Participants write and respond to each other's creative work in an inspirational, fun and healing environment. Patients and their family members, friends, health-care providers and caregivers are all welcome. 
We are offering two opportunities to write in a supportive community for eight consecutive weeks:
     Tuesdays from September 8, 2009 through October 27, 2009, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.
Instructor: Sarah Wenstrand is a former long-time caregiver involved in advocacy outreach for young adult cancer awareness organizations.
Where: UC Davis Cancer Center 1st floor Breakout Room, 4501 X St., Sacramento
     Wednesdays from September 9, 2009 through October 28, 2009, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Instructor: Terri Wolf, R.N., B.S.N.,  is a clinical resource nurse in the UC Davis Department of Radiation Oncology.  She was a professional writer before becoming a nurse and has led writing as healing groups for many years.
Where: Classroom 2020 of the Facilities Support Services Building, 4800 2nd Ave., Sacramento
Cost: Free
For information or to register: Call Patricia Robinson at (916) 734-0823 or e-mail patricia.robinson@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.
Download a printable flyer for these Writing As Healing sessions.

Healing Arts for Children
Wednesdays from September 2 to October 28, 2009, 4:00 to 5:30 p.m.
Our Healing Arts for Children classes provide a creative outlet for young people living with cancer, either their own or a close loved one’s.  Art therapy provides support and helps to enhance self-confidence and school performance.
Children from ages 5 to 16 can participate.  Please register prior to the start of classes.
Cost: Classes, art exhibit and supplies are free.
Instructor: Elaine Bowers, registered art therapist and licensed marriage and family therapist.
Where: Classroom 2030 of the Facilities Support Services Building (FSSB), 4800 2nd Avenue, Sacramento.
For information or to register: Call Patricia Robinson at (916) 734-0823 or e-mail patricia.robinson@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu.
Download a printable flyer for this Healing Arts for Children session.