In 2013, I was getting weaker, out of breath, losing mental ability, and having other strange symptoms. Little did I know I was dying of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and I also had an indolent cancer. I received chemo just in time. My doctor told me a year later, I had been just a few…
Read MoreCUREative Art & Writing Contest
“Words can be limiting. Art opens up a whole new level of expression,” explains Carissa Hodgson, Gilda’s Club Program Manager. Because of this, Gilda’s Club is launching a CUREative Art & Writing Contest for Teens. The contest is open to any teen (ages 13-19) touched by cancer. It’s open to any type of art. “The…
Read MoreGrowing Up at Gilda’s
My name is Payton. I am 14 years old, but have been a volunteer for about nine years now and have experienced and learned many things along the way. You may not know, but the reason I started volunteering in the first place is because, when I was about one year old, my mom was diagnosed…
Read MoreA Creative Respite
“We do art classes because there are limits to our words. The process of expression actually helps us process our lived experiences,” shares Kirsten Norslien, Program Director at Gilda’s Club. Art therapy has long been a part of the programming at Gilda’s Club Madison. Fortunately, these programs have been able to continue virtually. Art therapy…
Read MoreGetting Back Up After Cancer Knocks You Down: Melanoma Survivor Shares Post-Treatment Struggles, Successes
Written by: Chris Malina, as originally published in the winter edition of The Advances e-newsletter. In the beginning, Renee Zemke got what every newly-diagnosed cancer patient gets: the big binder full of information. It came with the usual stuff: basic definitions, locations of clinics and important phone numbers. But nothing in the materials could prepare…
Read MoreGrateful for the Gift of Gilda’s Club
My name is Helen. I am a member, volunteer, and Ambassador at Gilda’s Club Madison. A year after my first breast cancer diagnosis, I felt “ready” for the support and psychosocial, emotional, educational support programming of Gilda’s Club. As I live in the Milwaukee area, I walked in through Gilda’s Club Southeastern Wisconsin, early in…
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