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Stories and updates for patients, family members, friends and colleagues.
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RSVP by July 6!
To reserve your spot, call 319-294-2899 or click the link below.
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Spotlight Shines on Our Financial Assistance Program
It’s our privilege to help patients afford the cost of prescriptions. Our own Becki Tinder is key to the process. Read a recent interview with Becki as she talks with the Patient Access Network Foundation about the difference she's able to make in people's lives.
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Medicare Beneficiaries Hit Hard by Prescription Costs
The inability to pay for essential care is not just a problem for people who lack health insurance. If you’re covered by insurance or Medicare, you can be overwhelmed by the costs of prescriptions and treatment. The impact on cancer patients can lead to choices no one should have to make.
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Relax at the Ghosh Center Retreat
On the second Tuesday of the month, we offer wellness sessions at the Ghosh Center Retreat, a stone cottage across the river from Palisades-Kepler State Park. Each free session for patients and caregivers includes stretching and chair yoga, relaxation and meditation. Advance registration required.
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Experience the Benefits of Chair Yoga
What to Expect
If you've never done yoga, you may wonder if you're flexible enough to participate. Not to worry; chair yoga is simple and straightforward. All it requires is the ability to sit and breathe, something you already do naturally.
In a typical session, you'll be encouraged to:
- Sit and straighten your spine
- Place your hands on your knees
- Close your eyes
- Inhale deeply through your nose, filling your lungs with air
- Exhale forcefully, like blowing out a candle.
- Continue the cycle - a natural inhale and a forced exhale - in a smooth comfortable rhythm
The Element of Breath
This breathing technique, known as Shining Breath, is at the heart of TriYoga®, the art and science of yogaflow®, that blends posture, breath and subtle hand movements. At The Ghosh Center, sessions are led by teachers from
TriYoga of Cedar Rapids
, who provide chair yoga and other mind-body-energy therapies to cancer patients and their caregivers.
Sterling Hart, one of TriYoga's instructors, emphasizes that breathing is inherent in movement, stretching and posture. When you breathe with focused awareness, you can direct oxygen and blood flow to specific parts of the body, which is especially important for people dealing with illness.
He states that anyone can do chair yoga. It’s based on awareness; the chair helps focus the awareness of our spine, the foundation of the body - whether you’re mobile, in a wheelchair or on oxygen, or are a caregiver in excellent shape. It’s safe for people of any age and activity level. For the greatest benefit, you can obtain a DVD to continue chair yoga at home.
Benefits of TriYoga
The
TriYoga website
lists the following as benefits of TriYoga practice:
- Accelerate the transformation of body, mind and spirit
- Increase flexibility, strength, and endurance for healthy muscles, tendons and ligaments
- Develop a supple spine and a dynamic nervous system
- Maximize the power of digestion, assimilation and elimination
- Invigorate the immune, cardiovascular and respiratory systems
- Purify and strengthen the vital organs and glandular system
- Awaken positive qualities such as emotional balance, mental clarity and self-confidence
- Illuminate the intellect to higher understanding and the realization of intuitive knowledge
- Expand awareness allowing the energy to flow
There's no time like the present to try chair yoga, especially now that sessions are available once a month at the Ghosh Center Retreat. We invite you to nurture your mind, body and soul with us!
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This article comes from Raegan Martin, Mindy Martin's oldest daughter, who is graduating from Washington High School this Friday. As you'll see, Mindy and her husband Chad have
much
to be proud of.
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The Perfect Prom Date
My brother Sam has always been someone I have looked up to. He is by far the strongest person I have ever met. Sam was born with HLHS (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome). Because of this, he has gone through three open heart surgeries. Though you wouldn’t expect it, Sam is the kindest, happiest and most positive person you will ever meet. I have always thought of Sam as a best friend; he is one of the most important people in my life.
Sam has been going through a lot this past year; exponentially more than in past years. I always ask myself “How?” How can it be that he still remains so positive? How is it that he can go to the doctor’s office week after week for tests and not get agitated and upset? How can he still manage to put everyone before himself? How does he still manage to see only the best in the world and in people around him? But most frequently I ask myself this question: How I can fix this?
As my senior year went on, it came time to start thinking about prom. What could I do to make this the best memory of my high school career? Something I can look back on later in life as one of the best memories I have? After countless hours of looking for the perfect dress, my mom and I made the trip to Wisconsin. It was there that I bought my dream dress.
The next prom project was one of much concern for high school girls. Who was I going to go with? After much contemplation and a list of many pros and cons, it hit me. Why would I go to prom with some boy I don’t really care for when I could go with my best friend? The next Monday, I went directly to the administrative faculty at Washington High School to discuss my plan. It was only two days later on a Subway date that I asked Sam to be my prom date.
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It was this experience that taught me that sometimes things don’t need to be fixed. Why fix what isn’t broken? Sam is perfect; he is not broken and he does not need to be fixed. The only - and most important - thing I can do is to thank him. Taking Sam to prom was one way of doing this. It was a way for me to show him how awesome and amazing he really is and to thank him for being my best friend.
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Sam, making the sign for love.
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The Ghosh Center for Oncology & Hematology
1951 51st St. NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
319-294-1899
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