Improve The Health And Healthcare of AYA Cancer Survivors

people holding hands

Lacuna Loft’s very own Mallory Casperson is an investigator in a new study with researchers at Kaiser Permanente to improve the health and healthcare of adolescent and young adults (AYAs) who may have had cancer. We need to hear about cancer experiences like yours to help shape our research. Topics will include your experiences with medical care, your life experience, and your thoughts on research participation.

We would like to recruit 30 AYAs to participate in a sixty-minute telephone interview. We will talk about cancer experiences and what researchers should know.

People who complete an interview will receive a $40 Target, Amazon, or Starbucks gift card for their participation.

If you are interested in participating, please click on the following link to answer a few questions to see if you are eligible. If you are eligible and selected, a member of the study team will follow up with you to schedule your interview.

Click here if you’re interested: https://bit.ly/2SU9aU8

With sincere thanks,
Marlaine Figueroa Gray, PhD – Kaiser Permanente Washington

Mallory Casperson – Lacuna Loft

Research Study On Extracurriculars Among Childhood Cancer Survivors

Lacuna Loft really enjoys sharing the news on research studies that benefit young adult cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers.  Check out this announcement for one from Celina at Cedars-Sinai!

I am part of a research team at the Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I am writing to invite you to participate in our research study about promoting extracurricular activities among early childhood cancer survivors. We hope to learn more about childhood cancer survivors’ experiences participating in extracurricular activities.

If you are a parent of an early childhood cancer survivor (ages 10-18), please consider enrolling in our study. You and your child will participate in one interview, 30 to 60 minutes in length. (Please note that parents and children 12 or older have the option to participate in a second interview). As a thank you for your participation, you will receive an Amazon gift card worth $30 in your currency.

If you’d like to participate or have any questions about the study, please email: Celina Shirazipour, Ph.D. @ celina.shirazipour@cshs.org

Drag Bingo Brunch Is Just Around The Corner

Lacuna Loft recently celebrated its 6 year anniversary as a nonprofit!  To celebrate, we’re hosting a Disney-themed, Drag Bingo Brunch featuring Miss Redd!  We’ve been hinting at a big reveal happening at the event, and here it is…we’re going to unveil our rebrand and new name at the event!  We’ve spent the last 9 months going through an exhaustive process and we are very excited about our new name and how it resonates with the work we do and the community we serve.  Want to be the first to know?  Grab your ticket today!

What do we mean by Drag Bingo Brunch?  A lovely drag queen, Miss Redd, will be hosting a bingo brunch with us!  We’ll have prizes, dance numbers, a costume contest, and attendees will be the very first to hear a HUGE announcement from us!

Is there a theme?  Yep!  Disney!

Do I need to dress in drag?  Nope!  Can you?  Sure!  We’ll have a costume contest though so dressing up according to our Disney theme is extremely encouraged. 😉

Who will be there?  Everyone!  Join with Lacuna Loft staff, board members, supporters, and community members!

How much does it cost?  This is a pay-as-you-can event!  While the suggested, minimum donation is $6 we totally understand that people have different financial capacities so you can join the drag bingo brunch, whether you pay $0, $6, or more!

Join us on Saturday, May 8th at 10 am PT / 12 pm CT / 1 pm ET for a 90-minute Drag Bingo Brunch.

Learn more and grab your tickets here!

Annual National Conference On Work And Cancer

work and cancer conf logo

Lacuna Loft is pleased to partner with Cancer and Careers on the 11th annual National Conference on Work & Cancer, being held virtually on Friday, June 25, 2021!

This FREE virtual event will explore the complexities working people face as they try to balance their cancer treatment and recovery with employment. Topics will include job search, legal issues, working during treatment, managing stress and more. CEUs/PDCs will be offered for nurses, social workers and HR professionals.

For more details or to register, please visit www.cancerandcareers.org/conference.

Drag Bingo Brunch With Miss Redd

miss redd drag queen

Today, Lacuna Loft turns 6 years old as a nonprofit!!!  To celebrate, we’re hosting a Disney-themed, Drag Bingo Brunch featuring Miss Redd!

What do we mean by Drag Bingo Brunch?  A lovely drag queen, Miss Redd, will be hosting a bingo brunch with us!  We’ll have prizes, dance numbers, a costume contest, and attendees will be the very first to hear a HUGE announcement from us!

Is there a theme?  Yep!  Disney!

Do I need to dress in drag?  Nope!  Can you?  Sure!  We’ll have a costume contest though so dressing up according to our Disney theme is extremely encouraged. 😉

Who will be there?  Everyone!  Join with Lacuna Loft staff, board members, supporters, and community members!

How much does it cost?  This is a pay-as-you-can event!  While the suggested, minimum donation is $6 we totally understand that people have different financial capacities so you can join the drag bingo brunch, whether you pay $0, $6, or more!

Join us on Saturday, May 8th at 10 am PT / 12 pm CT / 1 pm ET for a 90-minute Drag Bingo Brunch.

Learn more and grab your tickets here!

Body Image, Social Support, and Physical Activity Among AYA Cancer Survivors

hands reaching

Lacuna Loft loves sharing about research studies.  Check out this one from the University of Toronto!

You are invited to participate in a research study that aims to better understand body image, social support, and physical activity behaviours among adolescent and young adult cancer survivors.

The study involves completing one 30-minute online questionnaire. Your participation in this study is voluntary.

Your participation in this study will assist the researchers in developing future programing to help adolescent and young adult cancer survivors to help manage quality of life issues and increase physical activity.

Participants will be entered into a draw to receive one of twenty $25 gift cards for your involvement in the study.

This study has been reviewed and received ethics approval through the University of Toronto Research Ethics Board (Reference #39245).

Thank you for your time and consideration. If you are interested in participating in this study please contact Madison Vani (madison.vani@mail.utoronto.ca, 416-854-9662) directly or complete the survey here.

Comment On Research Results!

computer on bed with water

The Behavioural Sciences Unit, a research group in Sydney, Australia is looking for cancer survivor consumer representatives aged 15-39 to provide feedback on some brand new study results from the AYA Global Accord international research study. Some of you may have provided input on this study in 2018 when it was first applying for funding. This global study is being led by Dr. Ursula Sansom-Daly, a psychologist and researcher whose work focuses on AYA cancer, and she is working with a team of international experts from Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, and the UK.

The study involved AYA healthcare professionals completing an online survey. This survey aimed to find out what an international group of healthcare professionals thought ideal end-of-life communication with adolescents and young adults with cancer should look like, and what type of training they wanted to improve their skills in this area.

The first thing we’d be seeking your help with would be commenting on the results from this survey based on your experience, via an online survey format.

Later on, there will also be an opportunity to join a teleconference with other young cancer survivors and the research team to discuss your perspectives on the research findings some more. Consumers will also have the opportunity to contribute to a publication (an academic journal article) about consumers’ views.

If you’re interested, fill out the form below and Lacuna Loft will forward your information along to the research group!

Support Lacuna Loft At A Canvas + Cocktails Evening!

painting of tree with flowers at night

Join Lacuna Loft for a night of fun and crafting, painting, and cocktails led by our Chief Program Officer, Aerial Donovan, and a lovely artist, Kent.  When you can’t join a paint and sip in person, we’ll bring the fun directly to you!  Grab a friend (near or far, we’ll be on Zoom!) and join Lacuna Loft online for an opportunity to directly support our programs for young adult cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers while also creating a beautiful canvas acrylic painting and learning a fun cocktail!

After making your contribution toward the event we’ll send you everything you need for the event in the mail!

Join us on Thursday, April 22nd at 5 pm PT / 7 pm CT / 8 pm ET for a 90-minute Crafting Night.

Psst, having a hard time with the price tag?  We totally get it!  We’ll keep hosting free creative art workshops for our community of young adults facing cancer but this event might be perfect for a friend or family member of yours!

Grab your ticket today!

Have You Heard Of Mend Together?

Lacuna Loft loves sharing resources we find valuable with you and today is no different. Few people probably know that Lacuna Loft started out as a sole proprietorship where we sold ‘cancer care packages’ for loved ones to buy a patient or survivor in their life. It had all of those great products that we as patients and survivors know are super helpful when you’re going through cancer treatment and entering survivorship. Out of that grew Lacuna Loft as you know it today, a nonprofit where we host psychosocial and support programs for young adults facing cancer, but it’s always been important to me to figure out how to get what’s needed most into the hands of young adults with cancer.

With that in mind, have you heard of Mend Together? They are a platform where you can organize what you need with your family and friends into a gift + cash registry. Think the knot or amazon wish lists but even better because Mend Together is specifically designed for cancer patients and survivors.

It’s so hard sometimes to respond when well-meaning family and friends ask, “How can I help?” Especially when sometimes you just really need a specific kind of toothpaste to help with dry mouth, a pair of cozy socks for the infusion room, or maybe just Tuesday night dinner. Mend Together is a free platform that helps organize exactly what you need. You pick the items you need and add them to the registry. They even have tools on the platform that help others learn what to say and do for someone facing cancer! Mend Together includes a gift + cash registry, community journal, and volunteer calendar.

If you’re interested in setting up a registry, use the code LACUNA100. That will get you a free Cancer Support Kit that includes free gifts, resources, and a $100 in-site credit to use on Mend Together’s products and services. Mend Together will also donate $20 to Lacuna Loft to help support our mission and programs.

How does it work?

Patients/Survivors of a friend/family member can create a free registry and add over 300 products, services, and cash funds to it as well as send updates to loved ones. Friends and family can then choose a gift to send, contribute funds for financial assistance, send encouraging words, or donate time.

Learn more about how to help people rally around you when you need them most using Mend Together.