South Florida’s First Support Group for Thyroid Cancer Survivors Begins Meeting

The first support group for thyroid cancer survivors in the Fort Lauderdale and Miami area of Florida meets on the last Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Weston Regional Health Park, Room 102A, 2300 North Commerce Parkway, Weston, Florida. The next meetings will take place on January 25 and February 22. The facilitators are Marla Friedman and Joan Axthelm.

Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa South Florida support group is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors and their families and friends.

The free support group welcomes people at all stages of testing, treatment, and follow-up for thyroid cancer. For more information, contact Marla Friedman or Joan Axthelm by e-mail to South-FL@thyca.org.

Support groups for thyroid cancer survivors are organized across the United States by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. The ThyCa web site lists all the support group meeting dates and locations. ThyCa is a nonprofit, volunteer organization providing person-to-person and e-mail support groups, a free low-iodine cookbook, a free newsletter, and other educational services and resources to thyroid cancer survivors and their families at no charge.

For more information about ThyCa’s free support services and annual conference, visit the web site atwww.thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or e-mail tothyca@thyca.org.

The first support group for thyroid cancer survivors in the Manitowoc/Two Rivers area of Wisconsin will meet on the second Wednesday each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the American Red Cross Building’s small classroom at 205 North 8th Street, Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The group will hold its first meeting Wednesday, February 12, 2003. The facilitators are Tina Chappell and Sharon Clement.

Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa Manitowoc/Two Rivers support group is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors and their families and friends.

The free support group welcomes people at all stages of testing, treatment, and follow-up for thyroid cancer. For more information, contact Tina Chappell or Sharon Clement by e-mail at Manitowoc-WI@thyca.org.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Assocation, Inc., is pleased to announce five new members of its volunteer Board of Directors.

Alan Braunstein of Getzville, New York, facilitates the ThyCa Buffalo Support Group for thyroid cancer survivors and caregivers and coordinates ThyCa’s Toll-Free Number.
Sara Gorrell Brenner of Arlington, Virginia, facilitates the ThyCa Northern Virginia Support Group and was Coordinator of the 2002 Capital Area Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Workshop, which had more than 90 participants.
Evelyn Gross of Narberth, Pennsylvania, facilitates the ThyCa Philadelphia Support Group and is a volunteer for ThyCa’s Person-to Person Network as well as the Toll-Free Number.
Elizabeth Irion of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, facilitates the ThyCa Central Pennsylvania Support Group and one of the AOL Thyroid Cancer Mutual Support Groups, where thyroid cancer survivors first came together over the Internet starting in 1995.
Peggy Melton of Parker, Texas, facilitates the ThyCa Dallas, Support Group and was registrar for ThyCa’s recent international conference weekend, which had more than 360 participants.

Continuing on the board are Ric Blake, Londonderry, New Hampshire; Gary Bloom, Board Chair, Olney, Maryland; Karen Ferguson, Assistant Chair, Charlotte, North Carolina; Joni Eskenazi, Fundraising Chair, Mercer Island, Washington; Ron Grafman, Treasurer, Germantown, Maryland; Leah Guljord, Recording Secretary, West Melbourne, Florida; Melanie Reiser, New York, New York; Betty Solbjor, Webmistress, Waltham, Massachusetts; Megan Stendebach, Conference Coordinator, San Antonio, Texas; and Cherry Wunderlich, Corresponding Secretary, Bethesda, Maryland.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.s an all-volunteer, nonprofit 501( c)(3) organization that provides free support services to thyroid cancer survivors and families.

Services include local and e-mail support groups, an award-winning educational web site, the Person-to-Person Network, an online newsletter, a low-iodine cookbook downloadable from the web site, annual conference and regional workshops. ThyCa’s 6th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference will take place in Houston, Texas, October 24-26, 2003.

Details about ThyCa’s support services and resources are available on the ThyCa web site, toll free at 1-877-588-7904, and by e-mail at thyca@thyca.org.

Released by: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
Web site: www.thyca.org
Media Contact: Tracey Crary or Janelle Waslaski at TwinCities@thyca.org
E-mail: TwinCities@thyca.org
Address: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545
Toll-Free Survivors’ Information Number: 877-588-7904
E-mail: gthyca@thyca.org

Minnesota’s first support group for thyroid cancer survivors will hold its first meeting Saturday, June 15, at 10 a.m. in Edina, Minn. The group meets from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the third Saturday of each month.

Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa Twin Cities support group is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors and their families and friends.

ThyCa Twin Cities meets at Hennepin County Southdale Library, 7001 York Ave. South, Edina, Minn. For more information, contact Tracey Crary or Janelle Waslaski by e-mail at TwinCities@thyca.org.

Support groups for thyroid cancer survivors are organized across the United States by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. ThyCa is a nonprofit, volunteer organization providing person-to-person and e-mail support groups, a free low-iodine cookbook, a free newsletter, and other educational services and resources to thyroid cancer survivors and their families at no charge.

ThyCa’s 5th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference takes place in Los Angeles, California, October 11-13. Already 26 leading physicians from around the country are confirmed as speakers.

For more information, call ThyCa toll-free 877-588-7904, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, or visit the web site at www.thyca.org

On Saturday, May 18, thyroid cancer survivors and their families are invited to attend a one-day workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Kent County Memorial Hospital Auditorium, 455 Toll Gate Road, Warwick, Rhode Island.

The workshop is free and is open to people at all stages of testing and treatment for thyroid cancer, as well as their families, friends, and caregivers. The Kent County Memorial Hospital is located a half mile from Interstate 95. Parking is free.

Stephanie Lee, M.D., Ph.D..Endocrinologist at the Boston Medical Center in Boston, Mass., will present an update of research on the low-iodine diet used prior to radioiodine treatment and testing for papillary and follicular thyroid cancer. Arturo Rolla, M.D., Endocrinologist at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston, Mass., will speak about thyroid functions and how thyroid cancer affects survivors. R. Michael Tuttle, M.D., Endocrinologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, will speak about the role of Thyrogen (recombinant TSH) in the management of thyroid cancer.

The workshop 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 workshop, e-mail to Boston_MA@thyca.org or thyca@thyca.org. For information about ThyCa’s other free support services, visit the ThyCa web site at www.thyca.org.

On April 27, thyroid cancer survivors and family members will meet from 9 to 3 for a daylong workshop at Inova Health System’s Life with Cancer Family Center, 2832 Juniper Street, Merrifield, Virginia. The Center has free parking and is near the Beltway I-495 and Route 29, Lee Highway.

This free workshop brings an opportunity to meet other survivors and families, hear presentations by physician specialists, and learn and share about thyroid cancer care.

The four physicians who will lead sessions and answer questions include Lisa M. Boyle, M.D., surgeon at the Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C.; Frank R. Crantz, M.D., endocrinologist in Alexandria, Virginia; Yolanda Oertel, M.D., pathologist and Director of the Fine Needle Aspiration Service at the Cancer Institute of the Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C.; and Matthew D. Ringel, M.D., endocrinologist at the Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C.

Topics include Ask an Endocrinologist, Ask a Surgeon, Diagnostic Issues, What You Need to Know If You’re New to Thyroid Cancer, Low Iodine Diet, Thyrogen, Radioiodine Therapy, Communicating with Health Care Professionals, Communicating with Your Children and Families, and
Survivor and Caregiver Roundtables.

Registration for the workshop is onsite. Transportation directions are on the ThyCa web site in the Conferences/Workshops section.

This workshop is sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., and hosted by volunteers from the four thyroid cancer
support groups serving DC, Maryland, and Virginia. ThyCa is an all-volunteer nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals.

ThyCa’s other free services and resources include seven e-mail support groups, local support groups in 24 states, a person-to-person network,
an award-winning educational web site that receives more than 50,000 visits each month, a survivors’ toll-free telephone number, a free downloadable low-iodine cookbook, and a free online newsletter.

ThyCa also sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Week in September and the Fifth Annual Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conterence, which takes place October 11-13 in Los Angeles, California.

For more information about the April 27 workshop, e-mail to thyca_northern_va@thyca.org orthyca@thyca.org or visit ThyCa’s web site

Released by: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
Web site: www.thyca.org
Media Contact: Kim or Louise Samuel
e-mail: SouthernJersey@thyca.org
Address: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545
Toll-Free Survivors’ Information Number: 877-588-7904
E-mail: thyca@thyca.org

New Jersey’s first support group for thyroid cancer survivors will begin meeting in Villas, New Jersey, on March 23 at 11:30 a.m. Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa Southern Jersey support group is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors and their families and friends.

ThyCa Southern Jersey meets from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 pm. on the fourth Saturday of each month at the Cape May County Library, Villas Branch, 2600 Bayshore Road, Villas, New Jersey. For more information, contact Kim or Louise Samuel by e-mail at SouthernJersey@thyca.org

Support groups for thyroid cancer survivors are organized across the United States by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. ThyCa is a nonprofit, volunteer organization providing person-to-person and e-mail support groups, a free low-iodine cookbook, a newsletter, and other educational services and resources to thyroid cancer survivors and their families at no charge.

Free one-day workshops for thyroid cancer survivors and families take place April 27 near Washington, D.C., and May 18 in Rhode Island. ThyCa’s 5th
International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference takes place in Los Angeles, California, October 11-13.

For more information, call ThyCa toll-free 877-588-7904, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, or visit the web site at www.thyca.org.

Released by: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
Web site: <www.thyca.org>
Media Contact: Marion Hammond
E-mail: Baltimore-MD@thyca.org
Address: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545
Toll-Free Survivors’ Information Number: 877-588-7904
E-mail: thyca@thyca.org

The first support group for thyroid cancer survivors in the Baltimore, Md., area will begin meeting March 9. Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa Baltimore support group is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors and their families and friends.

ThyCa Baltimore meets from 10:30 a.m to noon on the second Saturday of each month at The Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore. For information about ThyCa Baltimore, e-mail
Baltimore-MD@thyca.org

Support groups for thyroid cancer survivors are organized across the United States by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. ThyCa is a nonprofit, volunteer organization providing person-to-person and e-mail support groups, a free low-iodine cookbook, a newsletter, and other educational services and resources to thyroid cancer survivors and their families at no charge.

For more information, call ThyCa toll-free 877-588-7904, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, or visit the web site at <www.thyca.org>.

Released by: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
Web site: <www.thyca.org>
Media Contact: Theresa Missey
E-mail: StLouis-MO@thyca.org
Address: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545
Toll-Free Survivors’ Information Number: 877-588-7904
E-mail: thyca@thyca.org

Missouri’s first support group for thyroid cancer survivors will begin meeting in St. Louis on February 22 at 7 p.m. The second meeting takes place March 16 at the same time. Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa St. Louis support group is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors and their families and friends.

ThyCa Atlanta meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month at the St Louis County Library Tesson Ferry Branch, 9920 Lin Ferry, St Louis. For information about ThyCa St. Louis, e-mail
StLouis-MO@thyca.org.

Support groups for thyroid cancer survivors are organized across the United States by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. ThyCa is a nonprofit, volunteer organization providing person-to-person and e-mail support groups, a free low-iodine cookbook, a newsletter, and other educational services and resources to thyroid cancer survivors and their families at no charge.

For more information, call ThyCa toll-free 877-588-7904, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, or visit the web site at <www.thyca.org>.

The 4th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference brought 320 thyroid cancer survivors, family members, friends, and speakers to Chevy Chase, Maryland, September 21-23, 2001. Participants came from 28 states, the District of Columbia, and 2 Canadian provinces.

This supportive and educational event was sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. ThyCa is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that provides free support services to thyroid cancer survivors and families. The conference was the highlight of Thyroid Cancer Awareness Week, also sponsored by ThyCa.

Attendees included people with every type of thyroid cancer—papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, the variants, and pediatric thyroid cancer. There were thyroid cancer survivors from age 15 to their mid-70’s. They ranged from those newly diagnosed to a survivor of 37 years. Many had never met another person with thyroid cancer before.

Megan Stendebach of San Antonio, Texas, ThyCa Volunteer and Conference Coordinator, opened the conference with a minute of silence in
memory of the victims of the tragic events of September 11. Participants next met in three roundtable sessions to share their experiences and their hopes for the conference.

The conference next offered choices of 50 sessions covering testing, treatment, and monitoring for each type of thyroid cancer; research advances; medication issues; self-care and coping; patient-physician communications; insurance and employment issues; and ways to meet caregivers’ needs.

Speakers included 23 physicians from major medical centers around the United States, including endocrinologists, pathologists, surgeons, and nuclear medicine physicians. Session leaders also included pharmacists, mental health professionals, hospitals’ patient representatives, attorneys specializing in insurance and employment issues, thyroid cancer survivors, and caregivers.

ThyCa received grant support for the conference from the American Cancer Society, Aetna Foundation, Abbott Laboratories, Genzyme Therapeutics, Kronus, Inc., and Monarch/Jones Pharmaceuticals. Contributions from businesses and individuals also helped fund the conference, which was organized and run entirely by volunteers. Thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and friends from 19 states, Canada, and the United Kingdom volunteered their time to plan and run the conference.

ThyCa Board Chair Gary Bloom announced that the Fifth International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference will take place in Los Angeles, California, in Fall 2002.

Throughout the year, ThyCa provides free local support groups, e-mail support groups, a person-to-person network, an award-winning educational web site, a toll-free survivors’ telephone number, a free low-iodine cookbook downloadable from the web site, and other publications for thyroid cancer survivors and families. ThyCa welcomes volunteers and members at any time.

More information is available on the web site of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., athttp://www.thyca.org, toll free at
1-877-588-7904, and by e-mail to thyca@thyca.org.