Discover Why The Cancer Support Community Is So Important In The Quad Cities

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and I-Rock 93.5 Gives A 💩! You are donating to The Cancer Support Community at Gilda’s Club, which is hosting an online sweepstakes right now.  We are helping Quad Cities families impacted by cancer with everything the Cancer Support Community does.  And that's a lot.

I talked with Joy Bush, Executive Director, who shared with us how fortunate we are to have two of these facilities in the Quad Cities.

The Cancer Support Community

People might remember seeing the Gilda's Club sign on River Drive for years. This is the same group; it's now in new locations at hospitals, which makes it more convenient for patients.

Joy said, "We received funding to extend our services across the entire state of Iowa. We thought that as we went out into other communities, they might not know it has something to do with cancer."

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The Quad Cities are very fortunate to have not only one but two locations.  Joy said, "We're actually one of the smallest communities across the country. There are close to 191 locations across the US. And sadly, not every city has one, not even every state has one."

The location in Davenport is located in MercyOne Genesis at 1351 W Central Park Ave.  In Moline, you'll find them at UnityPoint at 600 John Deere Road.

Over 765 Free Programs For Patients And Families

We didn't break down all 765 things they do at Cancer Support Community cause that would have taken hours.  But we did talk about a few of the things they offer.

Joy talked about Tuesday nights in Davenport where they "have our support group night so they can come as a family and the person with the diagnosis meets with other people that are going through a cancer diagnosis."

And it's not just for patients, it's for families and caregivers.  Joy said, "Studies show us that caregivers have a higher level of stress and anxiety than the cancer patient."

Those patients and caregivers, while fighting cancer, also have to handle regular life.  Like eating.  The Cancer Support Community provided over 1,000 free meals last year.  "That is through a great partnership with Mary Anger from Anger Eats. She connected us with another nonprofit called Steph's Tribe.  So we have freezer meals that are delivered every week. So the menu changes every week.

There is also a yoga studio, kids' areas, a wig program, and so much more.

Community Is Stronger Than Cancer

The Cancer Support Community doesn't charge for services. They don't bill insurance. They don't get state or federal funding.

Joy said, "It's really the community that comes around and wraps their arms around cancer patients and their families to let them know that they're not alone in their journey and that everybody's there with them every step of the way."

So, thank you for supporting a great facility in our community.  The online fundraiser will last until March 14th at 7:00 p.m. right here.  Of course, you can donate to the Cancer Support Community at any time here.  We will also get together to raise money and celebrate March 14th at The Pub in Milan from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., and you can find out more about that here.

Listen to our full conversation below, and thank you for Giving A 💩!