Triangle Childhood Cancer Support Group Meeting

  • Do you have a child with cancer?
  • Do you have a child who is in remission?
  • Have you lost a child to cancer?
  • Are you currently or have you been a caretaker of children with cancer (nurse, social worker, doctor, child life specialist, pastor)?

If you said yes to any of the questions above then this group is for you!

You can find us on Facebook or on Meetup!

There are about 700 children each year in North Carolina diagnosed with Cancer. A good majority of them are treated by one of the two Pediatric Oncology hospitals in the Triangle (Duke or North Carolina Children's - UNC).

We know from direct, personal experience that while your child may have received excellent medical support, your child, and the rest of your family might not have received the emotional support needed to deal with the life effects that come with a cancer diagnosis. Childhood cancer not only affects the child with the disease but it affects the entire family.

SUPPORT

Striving for More is a triangle based non profit organization that is dedicated to ensuring that children with cancer and their families receive quality emotional and spiritual support. We have decided that a community based support group (outside of the walls of the hospital) is overdue. We would like people who are currently on this journey or who have taken the journey and come out the other side (victorious or not) to join us. This is a club that nobody wants to join. Few people understand what it is like to hear the words "your child has cancer" or to be intimately involved in the care of a child who has cancer and their family. We hope to create a community of people who can support each other because they all understand. Please consider joining us.

MEETING GOALS

Initially, we plan on having meetings twice a month at alternating locations. One meeting will be held in Durham to meet the Durham/Chapel Hill side of the world and a second meeting will be held in either Raleigh or Cary. We will decide that when we see who has joined the community. There is no commitment involved in joining this group. Come when you can. Come when you need support or come when you want to give support (sometimes that is just as therapeutic).

ORGANIZERS

The Organizers of this Support Group are:

Jaclyn Starritt, Ph.D., PLLC

Dr. Starritt is a psychologist in private practice in Cary, specializing in the assessment and treatment of children. Prior to starting her own private practice, she received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During her education, Dr. Starritt completed a practicum at WakeMed and an internship at Duke University Medical Center working in part with children and families coping with acute and chronic medical conditions.

Shay Montgomery Crenshaw, M.Div BCC

Shay is the Director of Pastoral Care at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill. She is a graduate of Converse College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She is an ordained minister and prior to taking on her current role as Director of Pastoral Care, she served as full time staff chaplain in Pediatrics.

Diane Moore, Founder of Striving for More

The Moore family lost their youngest daughter, Colleen, at the age of 9 to Osteosarcoma in 2008. After their experiences at the area hospitals, thoughts of children struggling with life threatening and terminal cancers without proper emotional and spiritual support continued to haunt Diane. In October, Diane made the decision to research the issue more fully, which led to the decision to create Striving for More and dedicate her life to its work.

We would love to have you join us!  Join our MeetupGroup or Facebook Group to Connect!



Did You Know?

The uncertainty that pervades the childhood cancer experience can lead to the development of symptoms that resemble those of post-traumatic stress.