Relay for Life rep reports ACS’s work, local event

A representative from an organization devoted to ridding the world of one of its most dreaded diseases was on hand at the Franklin Rotary Club meeting Tuesday to let the members know what is being done in the parish to fight cancer.
Randi Landry, Relay for Life Community Manager for the Mid-South Division with the American Cancer Society (ACS), spoke to the audience about the upcoming Relay for Life Event and about other resources available to all those affected by cancer in St. Mary Parish and the surrounding region.
The Relay for life in St. Mary Parish will be held from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20 at the St. Mary Parish Courthouse in Franklin.
Landry said efforts by the American Cancer Society have made a significant impact on those afflicted with cancer and those who are tasked with caring for friends and family members with the disease.
“The American Cancer Society is the largest private, non-profit funder of cancer research,” Landry said. “We have played a role in nearly every cancer research breakthrough in history. In the past few decades, the society has contributed to a 22 percent decline in cancer death rates. Currently, the American Cancer Society is investing over $2 million in research grants here in Louisiana.”
Landry said one of the things that makes the ACS stand out in the effort to find a cure for cancer is that the group does not just focus on one type of the disease. She said the organization goes after all of them.
“The American Cancer Society’s goal is to find a cure for every form of cancer,” Landry said. “I think that really sets us apart from other non-profit cancer organizations. We oversee all of it, not just one.”
And it’s not just the victims of cancer that, according to Landry, are affected by the disease. She said those who take care of patients stricken by the disease also need support and the ACS has resources dedicated to helping caregivers help victims of cancer.
“That is a group of people that can get ignored in a way,” Landry said. “The caregivers are such a huge part in making sure people we love are taken care of.”
Landry said another initiative being undertaken by the ACS is making sure those at risk for cancer get tested at an early age. She also said there were resources available for those who wish to stop using tobacco products.
According to Landry, the ACS also offers free lodging at certain locations, the closest in the region being in New Orleans, for care givers and family members accompanying patients seeking treatment. Called a ‘Hope Lodge’, the facilities help families already struggling with financial burdens that come with treating cancer.
“When you are going through these battles, you already have enough to pay for,” Landry said. “You already have financial burdens and it also gives you a chance to not have to stay at the hospital if you are a caregiver. It’s a wonderful service that ACS offers because it really does take a lot of the burden off (of caregivers).”
More information about ACS activities and resources can be found at www.cancer.org or by calling 1-800-227-2345.