ReZoom

Region #12: Nashville, TN

The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation funds programs to provide benefits to patients and families affected by cancer. The programs are set up to help with education, patient and family services and cancer research. The charity takes pride in its services and is dedicated to Sarah Cannon, who suffered from cancer and was well-known for her character "Minnie Pearl." Many patients find hope through this organization by establishing camaraderie with other survivors and gaining renewed self-esteem and energy.

Winning Regional Essay

"Since 1987, The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit public charity in Nashville,Tennessee, has offered hope through research, support and education to cancer patients and their families (from any treatment facility and free of charge). Remembering the compassionate legacy of our namesake, Sarah Cannon, a cancer survivor herself who was better known as Minnie Pearl, we welcome patients daily to our Patient Resource Center and offer the profound gifts of hope, education, and companionship as patients navigate their way through a cancer diagnosis and the far-reaching effects it has on their lives."

"With approximately one of every three Americans having some type of personal cancer experience in their lifetime (their own or a family member's experience), our on-site oncology social workers and dietitian are skilled in counseling patients throughout all stages of their survivorship. We strive to design programs to address the unmet needs of the cancer patient."

"One such program that the Foundation offers to counter the devastating impact of a cancer diagnosis is our annual Young Adult Cancer Survivor Retreat, launched in 2005, which has intrigued participants from across the country and is the only such retreat in the Southeast."

"Although a cancer diagnosis at any age is life-altering, young adult cancer patients find themselves in a particularly vulnerable time in their lives as they are striving to establish themselves in their careers, continuing education, and relationships; questioning why they have cancer at such a young age; and coping with the fear of recurrence."

"Many have never talked with another young adult cancer survivor. This retreat offers camaraderie never imagined among these young adults, turning isolation into understanding and turning the potential debilitating effects of cancer into renewed self-esteem and energy to carry on with their lives. Through interaction with one another, small group discussions, and creative team-building activities, an intense support network forms instantaneously during the weekend and carries over naturally as these young adults return home. We see former retreat participants coming back each year, helping to plan the next year's retreat, and mentoring new participants."

"Through continuing correspondence after the retreats, we see newfound friends sending cards and e-mails to one another and getting together as they celebrate each other's successes and triumphs and offer hope and friendship during relapses."

"One participant sums up the retreat: "We arrived from different states, shy, wearing wigs, with arms crossed. By the end of the retreat, we shared contagious smiles and laughter, comfortably pulled off our wigs and bandanas, and our arms embraced one another. This weekend is magical."

If They Won the $100,000 National Award ...

"As a nonprofit public charity committed to supporting programs that offer 'hope through research, support, and education' to cancer patients and their families, The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation is grateful to be the Region 12 recipient of ReZoom's Better World Award. The Foundation also celebrates the remarkable advances against cancer, particularly the accomplishments of the last 30 years. Most of the ReZoomer population (the 40-plus generation, as defined by ReZoom, also known as baby boomers) remembers the early evolution of cancer care and support in the 60s and 70s as significant strides were made in research, detection, and treatment. This same demographic also probably remembers the guarded, limited hope and support that cancer patients experienced during that time period as survival rates were approximately 50 percent at best for most cancer diagnoses. Few people had the language or the knowledge to confidently embrace and encourage a cancer patient on the journey through treatment and survivorship. In subsequent years, the baby boomer generation has witnessed a near-revolution in support for the cancer patient and is greatly responsible for acknowledging the need for change and for bringing about the change."

"The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation's inception in 1987 paralleled the momentum building during that decade for meaningful cancer support. Grassroots organizations rallied people to the fight against cancer, which led to more aggressively promoting health advocacy, information, and greater care of the whole cancer patient, as well as taking care of the patient's emotional, psychological, and practical needs in order to cope with the devastating cancer diagnosis. For 20 years now, through collaboration and/or funding, The Foundation has supported cancer research initiatives that have supported oncology researchers across the country and has endorsed emotional/educational cancer support programs, both our own and other organizations' programs. For a small, local nonprofit with no national parent affiliation, that's been a big job."

"By opening a Patient Resource Center, The Foundation has extended tangible support to cancer patients and their families in the form of a library stocked with a treasure of cancer-related materials and computers with bookmarked Internet sites for quick, reliable research. Our on-site oncology social workers assist patients who visit our office, or who sometimes call from around the country, to get advice about navigating care and practical matters surrounding a cancer diagnosis. An on-site dietitian counsels patients on nutrition matters at any stage of cancer treatment or survivorship. We offer programs, such as a "Cancer Resource Roadmap," a "Cancer in the Workplace" DVD, and annual Young Adult Cancer Survivor Retreats, all of which have addressed unmet needs for cancer patients and have served not only local cancer patients but also patients and their families from across the country. Our comprehensive services and programs offered to anyone from any treatment facility are all free of charge."

"Although we've gained national endorsement and support for our programs through generous grants from organizations such as the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the American Cancer Society, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, our work is far from over and the need to continually find sources of unrestricted funding is an ongoing challenge so that we may continue funding educational and support programs that better serve cancer patients."

"Cancer is often a debilitating burden and, at the very least, an opportunity to explore options, become better educated about the diagnosis, and find others who understand the difficult journey. The work of The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation is an important development in the timeline of cancer care that has moved from uncertainty and isolation to education, advocacy, and support. With support from ReZoom "A Better World" Award program, our Foundation will continue its mission of compassion, its pursuit of unique programs that support cancer patients and their families, and its comprehensive offering of "hope through research, support, and education." We are deeply grateful for your support and belief in our efforts."

Vision

In 1987, Dr. Thomas Frist, Sr., and Dr. Steven Stroup formed The Cancer Education and Research Council. When Sarah Cannon, also known as comedienne "Minnie Pearl," was successfully treated for breast cancer in 1990, she became a passionate supporter in the fight against cancer and lent her stage name to The Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Funded through corporate and private donations as well as events supported by Minnie Pearl's friends and fans, The Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation is an active organization whose guiding principles honor Minnie Pearl's generosity and caring spirit. Today, The Foundation's services are comprehensive, and "hope through research, support, and education" has become a working theme throughout all of our efforts.