When Unite for HER founder Sue Weldon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, she began searching for information on therapies that would complement the medical treatments she was receiving. What she discovered was a lack of easily accessible resources on topics like nutrition, acupuncture, massage, yoga, counseling and other ways for breast cancer patients to enhance their wellness and care for their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs.
Since its establishment as a nonprofit organization in 2009, Unite for HER’s has focused on wellness initiatives that will positively impact the health of all women and girls.
Our mission is to bridge the gap between the medical and wellness communities by funding and delivering complementary therapies that support the physical and emotional needs of those with breast cancer during treatment and beyond. We educate our women and the community about the role of healthy lifestyle choices in the prevention of disease and the promotion of wellness.
In our last fiscal year, we served over 1,500 women through the Philadelphia five-county area and now into southern New Jersey and Delaware as well. We recently expanded our mission to include women with ovarian cancer and expect to serve about 100 women with that diagnosis. Our unique program has been embraced by the medical community and also by the women we have served. We continue to grow each year.
In the Philadelphia region, we work with local hospitals to identify women who have been diagnosed with breast and/or ovarian cancer within the past 18 months. We invite them to an educational and supportive group Wellness Day where we educate participants about how complementary therapies and lifestyle practices can help alleviate the side-effects and symptoms related to traditional treatment. Breast and ovarian cancer patients learn about the benefits of complementary therapies and create a personal plan for incorporating these fully-funded services into their treatment and recovery.
In a small group setting, trained professionals lead discussions on the uses and benefits of acupuncture, massage, Reiki, yoga, meditation, nutrition, professional counseling (including sexual health), and caregiver support. Attendees receive a personal massage consultation and hands-on experience with yoga and Reiki during the event. Participants enjoy a delicious meal while engaging in an interactive presentation hosted by Unite for HER Nutrition Manager Erin Pellegin RD, LDN, on the healing properties of real foods. In addition to these helpful resources, Unite for HER also provides a wellness passport to participants to cover one year of treatment costs from approved providers (see documents in the left column) for the therapies they feel will best support their everyday health and wellness.
We give each participant a “Wellness Passport” that offers them up to $2,000 worth of complementary therapies, delivered through our network of carefully selected and specially trained providers, all at no cost to the women. Participants also receive an eight-week share of organic produce from a local farm (CSA) and a one-on-one consultation with our staff nutritionist. The Passport is good for up to one year, and we offer renewals every six months for our women living with metastatic disease.
To try and deliver our mission to women outside of our Philadelphia footprint, we recently developed HER care box, a giftable box filled with educational resources and clean, safe products that support healing through treatment and recovery. www.hercarebox.org. When a loved one, friend, or colleague is diagnosed with cancer, it is difficult to know what to say, do, or how to help. There is no instruction guide on how to provide support during a challenging time.
HER care box was developed by Unite for HER’s team of medical and wellness professionals and is designed to help empower, educate, and bring balance to the emotional and physical well-being of those affected by breast or ovarian cancer during treatment and beyond.
All patients in the Wellness Program receive a HER care box containing educational resources, healthy products, and a wellness passport valid for one year and $2,000 of integrative therapies, including professional counseling, nutritional counseling, meal delivery services, virtual fitness and yoga classes, sexual health counseling, and meditation. Patients living with metastatic breast cancer or recurrent ovarian cancer are eligible for $2,000 of services every six months. Upon receipt of their care box, patients are invited to attend a virtual wellness retreat to learn about integrative therapies, meet care providers, and craft a personal integrative care plan.
Each care box contains a range of self-care items carefully curated by our medical and wellness advisors. These items promote healing and confidence and will help empower HER emotional and physical well-being during treatment and beyond.
HER care box is available to ship nationwide, so you can send the gift of care and provide support to women across the United States. Plus, 100% of all proceeds benefit Unite for HER’s Wellness Program, supporting women affected by breast and ovarian cancers in the Philadelphia region.
ACCEPTS VIRTUAL CLIENTS
127 East Chestnut Street
West Chester, Pennsylvania 19380
484 459 9982
[email protected]
www.uniteforher.org
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