Gary Bloom Selected as ThyCa’s Executive Director
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, a national nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, families, friends, and health care professionals, is pleased to announce the selection of Gary Bloom of Olney, Maryland, as Executive Director, effective September 10, 2007. ThyCa’s Board of Directors created this new position to support ThyCa’s tremendous growth in constituents and support services, outreach, and research advocacy over the past 12 years. Gary was selected by ThyCa’s Search Committee, led by Sara Brenner, Board Member and Director of Local ThyCa Support Groups, through an open nationwide search process and thorough review of candidates.
In collaboration with the Board of Directors, Gary will be responsible for day-to-day management to further ThyCa’s vision and strategic plan to further grow support services, education, and outreach, especially for underserved populations, as well as to foster research advocacy and alliances.
A thyroid cancer survivor since 1995, Gary Bloom served as Assistant Chair of the steering committee that developed ThyCa. He has served as Chair of ThyCa’s all-volunteer Board of Directors since 1999. In April 1999, he founded and became facilitator of ThyCa’s Washington, D.C. Thyroid Cancer Support Group, which meets monthly.
In addition to leading ThyCa’s management services, technology development, and conference planning, he has recruited and trained dozens of volunteers for ThyCa’s support services, outreach, and technology and administrative support. He is also strongly involved in research advocacy and in developing alliances with medical professional associations and patient support organizations.
Like most of ThyCa’s volunteers, Gary Bloom became involved in ThyCa because of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In 2001, he was selected for the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute’s advisory panel Consumer Advocates in Research and Related Activities.
For the past 18 years, he has been employed by a high-tech firm, first as controller, and later in a series of project management and development positions.
“As ThyCa continues to realize unprecedented growth, “ said Search Director Sara Brenner, “we are thrilled to bring on a full-time Executive Director who will steward the expansion of our services and enable ThyCa to serve more survivors and their families.”
Since its beginnings in 1995, ThyCa has grown and multiplied, expanding from one online chat room meeting weekly to providing a wide array of free support services and resources with help from more than 300 volunteers. Free services include more than 60 local support groups in the United States, Costa Rica, and Philippines; nine e-mail support groups; a Person-To-Person Network; a survivors’ toll-free number; a web site with more than 600 pages, with ongoing input and review from more than 50 physician specialists; a free online newsletter; and more than a dozen downloadable publications, including materials in Spanish.
The 10th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference will be held on October 19-21, 2007, in San Francisco, California, and will feature 25 distinguished physicians plus more than 30 other speakers. ThyCa also sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month in September, year-round awareness activities for early detection, and research fundraising. This year is its fifth year of awarding thyroid cancer research grants.
Free materials and information about thyroid cancer, ThyCa’s free support services, and educational events are available by e-mailing to thyca@thyca.org, calling 1-877-588-7904, faxing to 1-630-604-6078, writing to PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or visiting www.thyca.org
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., is pleased to announce the start of Oklahoma’s first thyroid cancer support group.
The free group will meet on the first Monday of each month from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., starting July 2, 2007, at Mercy Health Center’s Cancer Resource Center, 4300 West Memorial Road, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The monthly meetings are free and open to people at all phases of testing, treatment, and follow-up for thyroid cancer, as well as their family members and friends.
Lara Gaston, facilitator of the ThyCa Oklahoma City Support Group, invites thyroid cancer patients, families, and friends to attend meetings. To find out more about the new group, contact Lara Gaston by phone at 405-752-3388 or e-mail to okcity-ok@thyca.org.
“Meeting other thyroid cancer survivors in person offers a wonderful opportunity to share experiences and receive and give support,” said ThyCa’s Support Groups Coordinator Sara Gorrell Brenner. “We thank Lara Gaston for starting the group in Oklahoma City.”
The thyroid cancer support group, along with more than 60 other ThyCa support groups, has its own web page on the support groups section of the ThyCa web.
Many more free services are also sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, families, and health care professionals, advised by internationally recognized thyroid cancer specialists.
For more information about ThyCa’s free year-round support services, education, publications, and awareness materials, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, write to PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545 USA, or visit the ThyCa web site.
On Saturday, April 22, 2006, ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association will offer a FREE one-day workshop for thyroid cancer survivors, their families, caregivers, and friends. The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the O’Keefe Auditorium at Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, Massachusetts.
The free workshop is being organized by the ThyCa Boston Thyroid Cancer Support Group in cooperation with the Massachusetts General Hospital. Attendees may register on site at the workshop.
Featured speakers include:
- William C. Faquin, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School and Pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital
- Stephanie L. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Endocrinology at Boston University, Director of Endocrine Clinics at Boston Medical Center, and Member of ThyCa’s Medical Advisory Council
- Elizabeth N. Pearce, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and Endocrinologist at Boston Medical Center
- Gregory W. Randolph, M.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Harvard Medical School; Director, General Otolaryngology Service, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary; and Director, Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgical Service, Endocrine Surgical Service, Massachusetts General Hospital
For further workshop information, e-mail to Boston_MA@thyca.org, call Ric Blake at 603-434-4932, or visit www.thyca.org.
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization providing person-to-person support, support groups, a free downloadable low-iodine cookbook, a free online newsletter, awareness materials, and other resources to thyroid cancer survivors, their families, and the public at no charge. ThyCa also funds thyroid cancer research grants, sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month in September, and will hold its 9th annual international conference in Orlando, Florida, on October 27-29, 2006.
For more information, visit www.thyca.org, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, call toll-free to 877-588-7904, fax to 630-604-6078, or e-mail to thyca@thyca.org.
Thyroid cancer patients, caregivers, and friends from 6 states attended the free one-day workshop held on April 16, 2005, in St. Louis, Missouri, sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.. ThyCa’s St. Louis Support Group co-facilitators, Theresa Missey and Sandy Triplett, together with other St. Louis and national ThyCa volunteers, organized the workshop.
The more than 60 attendees ranged from children through seniors, from people diagnosed two weeks earlier to survivors of more than 30 years. They came from Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Utah.
Highlights of the day included physician presentations and Ask-a-Doctor sessions led by Speakers at the St. Louis workshop included James H. Boyd, M.D., St. Louis, MO; Mary K. Debenedetti, R.N., B.S.N., Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; Susan Larson, M.D., Chicago, IL; Jeffrey F. Moley, M.D., Washington University St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO ; and Irini E Veronikis, M.D., Endocrinologist, St. Louis, MO. The day’s programs also included survivor and caregiver roundtables on coping skills and well-being, led by caregivers and survivors of varied types of thyroid cancer.
The program also included survivor and caregiver roundtables on coping skills and well-being. Additional sessions focused on the use of recombinant TSH (Thyrogen) in monitoring papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, Reiki sessions, and discussions of medical insurance issues with an insurance specialist.
“A wonderful program,” wrote one attendee. Another wrote, “All your hard work is greatly appreciated. It’s good to know that you’re not alone in this “battle.” This was a great chance to share and be educated. Thank you.”
“We congratulate the St. Louis group on this wonderful event and are proud to announce two more free one-day workshops for May,” said ThyCa Board Chair Gary Bloom of Olney, Maryland, a nine-year thyroid cancer survivor. “We thank all our speakers and session leaders for your dedication to patient and caregiver well-being.”
“ThyCa’s next workshops will take place in Fort Myers, Florida, on Saturday, May 7, 2005, and in Vineland, New Jersey on Saturday, May 21, 2005. We invite everyone to tell their friends and family about these wonderful opportunities to learn from experts and meet other survivors and caregivers,” he added.
“Also, on October 21-23, 2005, our 8th Annual Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference will take place in Denver, Colorado,” Bloom continued. “We look forward to holding our annual conference in the Rocky Mountain region for the first time. Throughout the year, we invite everyone whose life has been touched by thyroid cancer to visit our web site to find out about the many free support and educational resources available.”
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national all-volunteer nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, families, and health care professionals, advised by nationally recognized thyroid cancer specialists, dedicated to support, education, and communication for thyroid cancer survivors, families, and friends. ThyCa is a full-service organization a full range of services that include public awareness outreach and materials for early detection of thyroid cancer, free education and support services from testing and diagnosis through lifelong monitoring of each type of thyroid cancer, as well as research grants to support ThyCa’s goal of a future free of thyroid cancer. For more information and free materials, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, write to PO Box 1545,New York, NY 10159-1545, or visit the ThyCa web site.
On January 27, 2005, Delaware will welcome its first Support Group for thyroid cancer survivors and their families. The ThyCa Delaware Support Group will meet at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center on the campus of the Christiana Hospital, 4755 Ogletown-Stanton Road, Newark, Delaware. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will run until 8:00 p.m.. Meetings for ThyCa Delaware will be held on the fourth Wednesday of each month thereafter. Sharon Ruth will facilitate the group.
The ThyCa Delaware Support Group is part of a national network of thyroid cancer support groups organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. ThyCa Delaware is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors, their families, friends, and caregivers. For more information about ThyCa Delaware, please contact the support group facilitator, Sharon Ruth, by phone at 302-454-1987 or e-mail to Delaware@thyca.org. Or contact Cindy Waddington at the hospital 302-733-1000.
ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national all-volunteer nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. ThyCa provides thyroid cancer survivors and their families with free year-round services such as person-to-person and e-mail support groups, a free low-iodine cookbook, free newsletters, and other educational resources. ThyCa also sponsors free regional workshops and an annual international conference. ThyCa is dedicated to providing a supportive and educational community for thyroid cancer survivors, their families, and friends.
For more information about ThyCa’s free services and special events, please visit the ThyCa web site, call toll-free at 1-877-588-7904, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or e-mail to thyca@thyca.org.
On Saturday, September 13, 2003, Silicon Valley’s first support group for thyroid cancer survivors will hold its first meeting, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Redwood City, California. (For meeting details, see the ThyCa web site Support Groups section.) ThyCa Silicon Valley will meet on the second Saturday afternoon each month thereafter, with the meetings in October and the following months starting at 3 p.m. and going to 4:30 p.m.
Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa Silicon Valley support group is free and open to all thyroid cancer survivors, their families, friends, and caregivers. For information about ThyCa Silicon Valley, contact Gail Schuler by phone at 650-363-0529 or e-mail to SiliconValley@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 annual Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference takes place on October 24-26, 2003, in Houston, Texas.
For more information about ThyCa’s services, visit the web site at www.thyca.org, call toll-free 1-877-588-7904, write PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or e-mail to thyca@thyca.org.
On Saturday, May 3, the third annual New England regional workshop for thyroid cancer survivors and families will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Carl Amelio Room at St. Joseph Hospital, 172 Kinsley Street, Nashua, New Hampshire.
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 day will begin at 8:45 a.m. with registration, a continental breakfast, and an opportunity for survivors with thyroid cancer, the most common endocrine cancer, and their families to meet informally with other survivors and family members.
From 9:30 to 11 a.m., speakers will focus on thyroid cancer testing and treatment.
Colleen Conley, Thyrogen Clinical Science Associate with Genzyme Therapeutics, will review the use of Thyrogen in whole-body scans for papillary and follicular thyroid cancer. Jack M. Monchik, M.D., Chief of Endocrine Surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and Clinical Professor of Surgery at Brown University School of Medicine, will discuss “Thyroid Carcinoma: Current Therapy and Recent Advances.”
The further morning and afternoon sessions will focus on coping skills and complementary approaches for well-being, including massage therapy, spirituality, acupuncture for nausea and pain relief, and other approaches.
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.
Transportation directions and further details about the workshop are on the ThyCa web site. For more information about the workshop, e-mail to Nashua_NH@thyca.org, or phone 978-251-4769 or 603-465-2900.
For information about ThyCa’s other free workshops and other support services and special events, e-mail tothyca@thyca.org, call 1-877-588-7904, or visit the ThyCa web site at www.thyca.org.
Vermont’s first support group for thyroid cancer survivors will meet on the second Saturday each month from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Northwestern Medical Center, Conference Room 2, 133 Fairfield Street, St. Albans, Vermont.
The group will hold its first meeting Saturday, April 12, 2003. The facilitator is Scott Careau of St. Albans.
Organized by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., the ThyCa Northern Vermont 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 Scott Careau by phone at 802-527-9868 or by e-mail at Northern-VT@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.