Health Officials from Belarus To Visit Twin Cities Thyroid Cancer Support Group Meeting, Saturday, March 15, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

On Saturday, March 15 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., ten public health officials from Belarus will take part in the Thyroid Cancer Support Group Meeting sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.

The meeting takes place at the Hennepin County Southdale Library, 7001 York Avenue South, Edina, Minnesota.

The meeting free and open to people at all stages of testing, treatment, and follow-up for thyroid cancer, as well as their family members and friends.

The Belarussian delegation is part of a month-long Community Connections program funded by the U.S. Department of State and sponsored by Connect/US-Russia of Minneapolis. The delegation is particularly interested in learning about coping mechanisms that thyroid cancer survivors find helpful.

“Thyroid cancer has been a major health concern in Belarus ever since the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster,” noted Charles Maynes of Connect/US Russia. “Our delegates are doctors and health administrators who serve one of the region’s most contaminated by the nuclear fallout. Care for children, in particular, is major concern: studies estimate that thyroid cancer in the younger population has increased 200 fold and an estimated 20,000 more children are at an increased risk to develop cancer in the near future.”

The support group is sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association. ThyCa, a nonprofit, 501(c) (3) organization, provides support services and resources, free of charge, to thyroid cancer survivors and their families.

For more information about the meeting, e-mail to Tracey Crary or Janelle Waslaski at TwinCities@thyca.org. For information about ThyCa’s other free support services and special events, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org or visit the ThyCa web site at www.thyca.org.