While there are several Mandarin-speaking cancer support groups in the San Gabriel Valley, Huntington Hospital staff noticed that there were no Cantonese-speaking options.
“In fact, we have been told we are the only Cantonese-speaking cancer support group in Southern California,” said Kenneth Lam, M.D., radiation oncologist at Huntington Cancer Center and a San Marino resident. “We have the Cantonese-speaking staff needed to facilitate this type of group and we wanted to make sure Cantonese speaking patients in the area had this resource. The response has been very enthusiastic and we welcome anyone who speaks Cantonese who may be willing to benefit from the support group.”
Both Mandarin and Cantonese are dialects of the Chinese language.
The first group meeting was held earlier this month from 10 a.m. to noon. It will continue to meet on the first Thursday of every month in the Huntington Hospital Cancer Center, located at 625 S. Fair Oaks, Suite 100 in Pasadena.
The support group is for patients and family members who wish to share stories with others in a similar predicament.
“Medical staff of Huntington Hospital from different specialty areas also attend and participate in the support group,” Lam said. “Our first meeting was well attended, with participants traveling from as far away as San Diego to attend.”
He said topics discussed so far include side effects from treatment, such as radiation and chemotherapy, in addition to comparing the health and recovery benefits of the Chinese diet to the American diet.
“The goal of the group is to give people the chance to discuss, share and ask questions with medical professionals and others dealing with similar issues,” Lam said. “There is tremendous value in sharing and listening to others share their stories.”
Anyone with questions or who wants more information about the Cantonese-speaking Cancer Support Group should call 626-397-8760.
“We want to be a resource for those dealing with this issue whose primary spoken language is Cantonese,” Lam said. “Anyone is invited to attend that has been affected by or is currently fighting cancer. There is no registration process.”
Also of interest to Chinese-language speakers will Huntington Hospital’s offering of Mandarin-speaking experts, such as Jeannie Shen, MD, medical director of breast surgery, sharing information at the annual Pink Ribbon Conference for breast cancer patients. The free event, which is held in cooperation with Herald Cancer Center, will be Saturday, Oct. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lunch will be served. Reservations are required by calling 626-286-1306 or emailing aliceloh@cchcla.org.
