Here are a few pictures from the support group meeting on March 22, 2017.  We had a wonderful speaker from Wongu University of Oriental Medicine share with the group some of the benefits of Oriental medicine, including acupuncture.  We had members participate as well as some students from the UNLV School of Nursing.

Wongu University

The Sponsor and Culture of the Support Group

Vegas Bladder Cancer Support Group has been most fortunate in having the Summerlin Hospital sponsor the group. The staff has provided a wonderful meeting room, light beverages, and snacks for our meetings. They also have given us all kinds of promotional support as well as ongoing encouragement for growing our membership. In addition, they have given us advice, suggestions, and ideas to make the meetings educational, enjoyable, and very worthwhile. Our main hospital liaison and advocate has been Ginger Fidel who is the Oncology Program Coordinator. Her knowledge, experiences, and wisdom have resulted in our meetings being very productive for all attendees. The co-leaders and all of the members thank Ginger and Summerlin Hospital for making our group the best version of itself.

Importantly, the culture of the support group has evolved as a caring, supportive, and empathetic group of members. We do not meet just to meet. Instead, we have an ongoing culture to serve each other equally. Although we are relatively new, we have rapidly grown our culture with a vision and mission to serve and help our prospective members. Even if you feel uneasy in a group, come and join us for there is no pressure to talk or interact if uncomfortable. And, as mentioned, we discourage anyone from venting or dominating the group. Hence you would be more than welcome —no matter what manner you might participate. Hopefully, this gives you an idea on the overall approach of a typical meeting.