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H.O.P.E
Help for Oncology Problems
& Emotional Support
H.O.P.E. (Help for Oncology Problems &
Emotional Support) has announced the launch
of a new Teen Cancer Support Network, to
hold its fi rst meeting in September.
Geared toward youths ages 13-19, the group
will meet monthly and provide a forum for
conversation and sharing, as well as outings
and fun. “The teen support network provides
an opportunity where they can come and just
be themselves,” says H.O.P.E. Executive
Director Barb Titanish. “It’s a place where they
can come and go and not worry if they have a
wig or not. And it’s a unique opportunity where
those who've successfully undergone
treatment can off er encouragement
too those in earlier stages and also connect
with others more personally in ways that they
might not have been able to earlier.”
The teen support group is geared both for
current cancer patients as well as young
cancer survivors. According to Dani’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to childhood cancer research:
- Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children younger than 15
- Each year, cancer kills more children than asthma, diabetes, cystic fi brosis, congenital abnormalities, and AIDS, combined.
- One in four elementary schools has a child with cancer and the average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients
- Each year, about 2,300 children and teens die from cancer and though cure rates are rising, one-third of children diagnosed with cancer will die.
The idea originated after a local youth experienced several setbacks due to her cancer diagnosis and treatment. She grew frustrated that she had to miss school for long stretches of time, that she was not able to participate in several cherished events and that even when
in school, she often felt ostracized and misunderstood. One incident led to her wig—a new style for her during treatment—being pulled off in the hallway and her head exposed to passing students.
Facilitating the new teen support network will be Buddy Hart, a young cancer survivor who at 13 years of age was diagnosed with a near-fatal case of lymphoblastic lymphoma and earlier this year honored with H.O.P.E.’s Scott Brown Memorial Seeds of Hope Award. Burned into his memory is the knowledge that few expected him to survive and one long night where he struggled to see the morning. “We will all have dark nights,” says Hart. “There’s no way around it. Sometimes you just have to fight for that light in the morning. To know that what I’m doing now makes a diff erence, that’s probably one of the greatest gifts I could get. I don’t know what I’ll be doing next, but I want to fight this fight till the end.” Hart, 24, has become a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society, has hosted its popular Relay for Life events, is a frequent speaker locally and regionally and behind the scenes relates especially well to children and young adults diagnosed with cancer and afraid for their own lives.
“People tell me I have an old soul kind of quality,” he relates. “Once you share a story, people open up to you. I’m a survivor,” Hart says. Those are words that carried him through his own cancer scare, gave him the inner courage and conviction to never give in and never give
up— even in the darkest moments - and that also resonate loudly with others in the midst of their own personal battles.
“Buddy embodies what H.O.P.E. stands for and what we envision for all cancer patients – a readily available source of support and understanding,” says H.O.P.E.’s Executive Director Barb Titanish. “He has become a source of inspiration for so many and a great ambassador
for cancer patients everywhere.”
H.O.P.E. was founded in 1994 after Titanish lost a dear friend to cancer. The organization provides:
- educational resources, counseling services and a variety of support groups
- recreational activities for children diagnosed with or impacted by cancer
- a network of social support and tender loving caretransportation to and from doctor’s appointments
- wigs, hats, scarves and turbans to women undergoing chemotherapy
- home-cooked meals, gas cards and local discounts
How can I help?
H.O.P.E. is a local nonprofi t that serves cancer patients and their families and that operates solely through the work of tireless volunteers and countless contributions from the community.
For more information about the teen cancer support network, call the H.O.P.E. office at 717-227-2824.
For more information about H.O.P.E., visit www.hopeforcancerfamilies.org
by Gwen Fariss Newman
Buddy Hart, getting into the spirit of things
for a Relay for Life event.
