Blog 1: Summer Mentorship Experience

 Hours and Description

•         I completed 5 hours at the United Cancer Advocacy Action Network on August 8th, 2012. On this day, my job was to help make ice cream in order to raise funds for this organization. I helped chop up a variety of vegetables and fruits such as mint, celery, apples, etc. I also boiled honey and water to sweeten the ice cream. Lastly, I placed everything in an ice cream maker along with ice cream salt.    The ice cream sells for $10 a tub and is made out of all organic ingredients.

•          I completed an additional 5 hours at the United Cancer Advocacy Action Network on August 21, 2012. On this day, my job was to clean up the office area and to make phone calls to various cancer organizations as well. I washed the dishes that had been used to make ice cream for the fundraising. I also organized the kitchen area as well as the front desk. Then, I was given a full binder filled with phone numbers as well as descriptions of different organizations that were based around cancer patients. Some offered financial aid to donors while some offered Disneyland trips or celebrity meet and greets to cancer patients. My job was to call as many organizations as I could and ask for applications or brochures in order to update the resource database for UCAAN.  
•        Contact Name & Number: Ms. Rachel Shur. (805) 479-103.
•        Email: Rachel@UCAAN.org
•        Office Address: 1459 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite E, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362.
•       Total Hours Completed: 10 hours.
•        Description of UCAAN: Rachel Shur is the owner of UCAAN. She is a cancer survivor who had Leukemia, which is cancer in the blood that originates right at the core of the bone marrow. Rachel was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2006. She created UCAAN because " I saw a need that needed to be met. That was . . . what happens to patients who don't have family or money?", said Rachel. UCAAN has been a 501-C3 or non-profit organization since December of 2010. Cancer survivors can drop by the office, which is located in Thousand Oaks, to take their mind off of cancer by doing art projects or to gain a positive perspective by talking to other cancer survivors. (For more information, visit www.UCAAN.org).

   Literal (Need to know)   

     What questions were raised because of the 10 hours of experience?  List them. 

• What is the most efficient way to fund raise money for cancer patients?
• What is the best comfort for a cancer patient?
• What happens to the cancer survivors who don't have families?
• In what way is life different after cancer?
• Do cancer survivors have to stick to a certain diet?
• Do cancer survivors have any specific restrictions to anything?
• Do all cancer survivors have some sort of treatment?
• Are survivors constantly afraid that their cancer will return? 

  Interpretive

     What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

• The most important thing that I gained from the experience was seeing the options that cancer survivors are given. Those who do not have family there for them can go to UCAAN and sit down in a comfortable environment to talk with other cancer survivors. I think this is a great option because the cancer survivor can talk to someone who has been in their shoes and will most likely understand their current feelings and emotions more than someone who is not a cancer survivor. For those survivors who are younger, or have a creative side, art projects are available to them. This includes clay sculpting, jewelry making, and more. It is a great place for survivors to come to for a while just to take their mind off of cancer. 

     Applied

     How did what you did help you choose a topic?  Please explain.

• To be honest, I knew that I wanted to do cancer survivorship towards the end of June. However, being at UCAAN never made me second guess my topic decision. If anything, being at UCAAN enhanced my awareness and overall knowledge of the subject. Before I volunteered at UCAAN, I pictured cancer survivors as people who had overcame cancer. That was it. When I started volunteering at UCAAN, I came to realize that the families of cancer survivors are cancer survivors as well. They may not have dealt with the physical pain of going through treatment, but they sure did go through a lot of the emotional pain. I also was not aware of the struggles that cancer survivors go through even after their battle with cancer. It turns out that most of the survivors develop psychological disorders, social issues, and much more. They can never say their life is back to normal. After cancer, their life changes forever.