New Supportive Care Room Expands Cancer Survivorship Services in North Miami
Not My Daughter… find a cure now! and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center collaborated on a new Patient Survivorship and Supportive Care Room at UHealth SoLé Mia Medical Center connects cancer patients with wellness, counseling and supportive services during treatment, recovery and survivorship.
Back row, from left: Amy Bizzarro, Shawn Rosenthal, Brooke Wachsman, Debi Weisman
For many people facing breast cancer, healing extends beyond medical treatment. Emotional support, nutritional guidance, integrative wellness services and counseling can make a meaningful difference during treatment, recovery and survivorship.
Through a partnership between Not My Daughter… find a cure now! and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, more patients now have access to those resources closer to home.
The nonprofit organization recently celebrated the opening of its Patient Survivorship and Supportive Care Room at UHealth SoLé Mia Medical Center in North Miami. The dedicated space connects cancer patients with services designed to improve quality of life, including art therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, nutrition counseling, exercise programming and emotional wellness support.
The SoLé Mia location is the third supportive care room funded by Not My Daughter, following similar spaces at Sylvester’s Plantation and Deerfield Beach locations. The organization has partnered with Sylvester, South Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the state’s top-ranked cancer program according to U.S. News & World Report, for nearly a decade.
“They help us do what we do every day…take care of our patients and help with the very important things that they need day-to-day to have a better quality of life, to do better, feel better and look better,” said Dr. Perez, a breast medical oncologist at Sylvester.
Dr. Perez recalled meeting Not My Daughter co-founders Denyse Hostig and Jody Sternfeld and immediately recognizing how closely their missions aligned.
Together, they have helped expand programs that support patients from diagnosis through survivorship while advancing efforts to identify those at higher risk for breast cancer and detect disease earlier.
Supporting Survivors and Those at Risk
For Carmen Calfa, M.D., medical director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute and associate professor of medical oncology at the Miller School, the partnership has strengthened patient-centered services across the cancer continuum.
“With the support of Not My Daughter, we are also building programs for those at high risk for breast cancer, with the goal to personalize follow-up based on individual risk and hopefully prevent or detect the disease at the earliest sign of cancer,” said Dr. Calfa, a breast medical oncologist at Sylvester.
Filling Critical Gaps in Care
Many supportive care services that benefit cancer patients are not covered by insurance, placing them out of reach for some individuals. The Patient Survivorship and Supportive Care Rooms help bridge that gap.
“Not My Daughter felt it was vital to create a welcoming and comforting place where breast cancer patients can receive whatever support services they need to make their path to survivorship easier,” Hostig said.
The new SoLé Mia space also reinforces Sylvester’s leadership in survivorship care, particularly its Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute, one of only a handful of dedicated survivorship institutes in the country, where patients have access to evidence-based programs focused on care during and after cancer treatment.
The Power of Philanthropy
Frank Penedo, Ph.D. ’99, director of the Sylvester Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute and the Sylvester DCC Living Proof Endowed Chair in Cancer Survivorship, emphasized the critical role philanthropy plays in expanding these services.
“We often think about the incredible medical discoveries that we have and the exceptional clinical care that we provide, but it’s not lost on us that philanthropy has gotten us to this stage,” Dr. Penedo said. “We rely heavily on the support of our donors and partners, like Not My Daughter, so that we can provide holistic and comprehensive care to our patients. Their commitment and passion for survivorship services have helped get us to where we are today.”
Inspiring Future Generations
Not My Daughter was founded in 2010 after Hostig survived an aggressive form of breast cancer. Inspired by her experience, she joined with friends to create an organization dedicated to finding a cure while supporting patients and survivors.
Since its founding, Not My Daughter has engaged hundreds of South Florida teens who volunteer their time to raise funds and awareness for research and support programs.
“It’s a beautiful thing to see how students, especially those whose families have been personally touched by this disease, are stepping up and helping support our mission,” Sternfeld said.
Support the Mission
Supporters can help advance Not My Daughter’s mission by attending the annual Breast Cancer Luncheon on Oct. 26 at the Marriott Heron Bay in Coral Springs.
More from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Luncheon raises awareness and funds to support breast cancer research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Cancer philanthropist Bippy Siegal joins Sylvester’s Board of Governors, bringing business experience and a commitment to research.
Breast oncologist Elisa Krill Jackson, M.D., explains advances in targeted treatment, tumor genomics and clinical trials for breast cancer.
Diagnosed with breast cancer at 22, Mariana Arango found personalized treatment and young adult support at Sylvester.
Tags: breast cancer, cancer research, Cancer Support Services, cancer survivorship, Division of Medical Oncology, Dr. Alejandra Perez, Dr. Carmen Calfa, Dr. Frank Penedo, fertility preservation, SoLé Mia, Sylvester at Deerfield Beach, Sylvester at Plantation, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sylvester’s Survivorship and Supportive Care Institute