A couple of weeks ago, when Nurse Kelley was kind enough to post an medical update on my behalf, some of the diary thread in response indicated there would be interest in a DKos group with a regular schedule of posts (plus extras) that would be focused on dealing with cancer. Such a group would be primarily for cancer survivors and caregivers, though clinicians, researchers, and others with a special interest would also be welcome.
While there are a number of websites and discussion groups/fora that already exist and provide important support for survivors and caregivers, some good reasons also exist for creating a group here. We can offer more scope for advocacy; we can connect people with relevant resources in a more powerful and comprehensive way; we can discuss issues that are applicable across the board, rather than only those pertinent to a particular kind of cancer.
I'd like to make this group as inclusive as possible, and that means inviting people to participate from the very beginning. I think it would be helpful to have an appealing group name, and an effective group description. In the spirit of collaboration--and also because if it has to wait for me to formulate both, it'll be languishing for quite some time--I'd like to throw this diary open for discussion of those two topics.
There is one aspect of the group that I'd like to propose as a given, however: For now, at least, Monday evenings seem like a good time slot to pick. It's an open evening for me, at least, and we could get some cross-traffic from The Grieving Room without competing with KosAbility, Chronic Tonic, or CareGiving Kos (though this last group appears to me to have a different caregiving population as its focus). I hope that's OK with everyone who'd be interested in taking part. Of course, diaries MORE often would be fine too; Monday would be a minimum commitment--a rotation that I would be happy to share, naturally.
At the risk of starting a pie fight in our very first post, I would like to propose that we be OPEN to discussions of all medical treatment options, Western/allopathic and otherwise. This is very personal to me, because my current oncologist appears to be on the verge of telling me that there is no other option left beyond the one that I am pursuing now. I am not about to "go gently into that good night," not at this point, and I am pursuing a wide variety of complementary and alternative treatments along with the allopathic ones. I hope that we can maintain an attitude of mutual respect and support even if we harbor doubts about the efficacy of a particular course of treatment. I've seen it done elsewhere and am optimistic that we can do it here. I'm not saying that we have to refrain from expressing all disagreement, just requesting that if we are motivated to do so, we also recognize how very difficult it is for some of us on the edge.
One more thing: I would like to go back and check through that diary of NK's to look for the names of people who expressed an interest then--but I haven't done so yet. Please don't take it personally if you did say something and I haven't contacted you individually. No slight was intended, believe me.
So the floor is open. What works for a name for this group? and a mission statement?