Canopy Survivorship Center: Inspiring Resilience and Supporting the Fight against Cancer
In this article, we explore the incredible work of the Canopy Survivorship Center at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands. Discover inspiring stories of resilience, comprehensive resources offered, and the exceptional team, including the notable Program Manager, Marcella Herrera.
Can you provide more information about the programs and services offered by the Canopy Survivorship Center for Cancer?
Canopy’s mission is to integrate cancer survivorship into the cancer care continuum, providing the best support, education, and comprehensive services to all those affected by cancer, regardless of where they are receiving treatment. Our activities aim to assist cancer patients and their families in all stages of their illness, as well as provide support in life after treatment. We offer over 45 unique activities each month for cancer survivors and caregivers, including gentle exercise classes, support groups, educational classes, meditation, resources, wig fittings, prosthetic fittings for mastectomy patients, creative therapies, counseling, nutritional support and culinary demonstrations, social support, and more.
What resources does the Canopy Survivorship Center provide to assist with emotional well-being during and after cancer treatment?
Canopy has a Licensed Clinical Social Worker specialized in Oncology who provides free cancer-related counseling to patients and caregivers, along with resources. We also offer a variety of support groups tailored to individuals at any stage of their journey. Our support groups include: Cancer Support Group (in English), Cancer Support Group (in Spanish), Coping with Changes, Caregiver Support, Living in the In-Between for Stage IV Cancer Survivors, Men’s Lunch, Modern Widows Club, Breast Cancer Support (Virtual), and Survivor Support (Virtual). Additional therapeutic resources include Art Therapy and Drama Therapy. We understand that support can vary per individual, so we also collaborate with Pets with a Mission for weekly pet therapy and offer other informal groups, such as Coffee & Support on Friday mornings.
How does In the Pink of Health support the Canopy Survivorship Center Cancer?
We are incredibly grateful for In the Pink of Health’s support over the years, in addition to our generous philanthropic support that has allowed us to offer all our services free of charge. In the Pink of Health is one of our key partners each year and provided initial funding to help us get started. They also provide support for books, radiation wraparounds, wigs, and prosthetics for mastectomy patients through a grant awarded to Oncology Nursing Navigation.
Can you explain the role of the Canopy Survivorship Center Cancer in providing educational resources for cancer patients and survivors?
We believe in empowering our community through education and resources. We have a monthly talk called the Canopy Cancer Educational Lecture Series, where we invite a physician or expert from our community to provide education and resources related to oncology. We also offer credible resources available in our Resource Library, host quarterly legal workshops, and offer individual financial resource sessions. Survivors can also learn Spanish by attending our Spanish language classes or learn nutritional tips and recipes through our weekly nutrition programs.
Are there specific workshops or classes offered at the Canopy Survivorship Center Cancer that focus on enhancing the quality of life for cancer survivors?
Absolutely! Our exercise, nutrition, and meditation classes offer benefits such as relaxation, bone strengthening, increased flexibility, improved mobility, fall prevention, and more. Each week, we offer Chair Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Pilates, Tai-Chi, and Zumba. We also have weekly nutrition classes that focus on tips, recipes, and learning how to maintain a healthy diet during the cancer journey and beyond. We also offer workshops that aim to provide a memorable experience for our guests. We have a rotation of chefs from our partner HEB who offer chef-led experiences every month at Canopy.
How can someone get involved as a volunteer or support the mission of the Canopy Survivorship Center Cancer?
We are fortunate to have such wonderful community support. We invite organizations to partner with us for unique workshops, events, or contribution events to help support our cause and spread awareness of our programs. With the help of generous donors and our incredibly skilled and compassionate volunteers, we offer the best programs to our community free of charge. Currently, we are at capacity with our volunteers, but with our ongoing growth, we welcome individuals interested in future volunteer opportunities to reach out to the Canopy Program Manager at marcella.herrera@memorialhermann.org. To help spread awareness of our unique center, we invite you to follow and share our Facebook page and join our newsletter by completing the contact form available on our website at woodlandscanopy.org.
What sets the Canopy Survivorship Center Cancer apart from other cancer support organizations in the area?
We are a comprehensive center of services and resources for survivorship that is not only unique in the Houston area but also uncommon in the country. With our mission to integrate cancer survivorship into the cancer care continuum, we hope to inspire other organizations to help support our cancer patient community. We were built by our community, for our community, and that’s something very special.
