Barbara Kavanagh, Caregiver and AzMN. Co-Founder with her husband, a 32 year cancer survivor. And William Brown, caregiver of his wife, and co-Leader with Barbara, of the new Online Cancer Caregivers Education Program, CCEP® . It is designed to bring together cancer patients,caregivers, cancer care professionals and healthcare organizations to improve the quality of life of the cancer patient. And their loving caregivers.
1. No Cancer patient or family should battle this devastating Battle alone.
2. You can help!
3. There is Hope! Jack Kavanagh is a 32 year cancer survivor and the Inspiration for
Barbara and thousands of other cancer patients, caregivers, families and cancer researchers who have dedicated their lives to seeking better treatment and a Cure!
For more information, visit azmyelomanetwork.org, cancercaregiversaz.com and cancercaregiversofamerica.com
1. No Cancer patient or family should battle this devastating Battle alone.
2. You can help!
3. There is Hope! Jack Kavanagh is a 32 year cancer survivor and the Inspiration for
Barbara and thousands of other cancer patients, caregivers, families and cancer researchers who have dedicated their lives to seeking better treatment and a Cure!
For more information, visit azmyelomanetwork.org, cancercaregiversaz.com and cancercaregiversofamerica.com
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 - Well, caregiving can be hard and getting to a class to help you better care for people
00:07 can be hard too because you're there working with the family and stuff.
00:10 So Barbara Kavanaugh is here to tell us a little about the online program that you guys
00:15 have going for cancer caregivers, which is very important because you have been working
00:21 diligently to make sure people get educated, to know what's going on, 'cause you are a
00:26 caregiver of cancer, you were, and still are we can say, helping people out.
00:31 But let's talk about, of course, your organization and how important it is for caregivers.
00:36 - Thank you very much.
00:37 Brad and AZTV has become my second family, which is very important because we all are
00:44 one family and I think sometimes we forget that.
00:47 But unfortunately, cancer can happen to anyone.
00:51 As we know, it doesn't care who you are, what you look like.
00:54 And 32 years ago, a month before I was getting married, second time and the right time, to
01:02 Jack Kavanaugh, who was gonna be going to a baseball game, so he couldn't be here.
01:08 But it was so important because he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
01:13 We didn't know what it was, we didn't know how to spell it, but we've not only learned
01:18 a lot, but what we realized is that so many other people hear those terrible three little
01:23 words, you have cancer, he has cancer, your child has cancer.
01:29 And so, fast forward, 20 years ago when he retired to be closer to good treatment at
01:38 Mayo and other wonderful treatments, Arizona's really blessed.
01:43 We have some of the best research and cancer treatment.
01:47 - Around here in this area.
01:48 - And also science.
01:50 - It's incredible.
01:51 - And that's where the caregivers come in, and that's where you started to go, okay,
01:55 you know what, great, but there is no really good support system and ways to--
01:59 - With a family.
02:00 - With a family and for the caregivers who are part of their families to work together.
02:03 And that's when we talk about the caregivers, we're really talking about family members
02:06 who are doing the caregiving.
02:08 And that's why this online program that you guys have started to put together is helping
02:12 them because again, they can't sometimes get away to go to a class somewhere or go to meetings,
02:17 and that's why your online program and of course your website is so important to them,
02:22 am I right?
02:23 - You're absolutely right.
02:24 And I think what really motivated us or became very real is during COVID, we couldn't have
02:31 our wonderful free cancer caregiver conferences and programs, and we couldn't meet with people
02:37 in person.
02:39 And so we started working on our cancer caregivers education program.
02:45 And we were doing seminars before, but now we realized that we had to be able to translate
02:52 that into online program.
02:56 One of my very dear colleagues who's helping me with the program, William Brown, shout
03:00 out to William, was taking care of his wife this morning, but that is part of our life.
03:07 And so we've developed a program that is now available, which is called our Online Cancer
03:14 Caregivers Education Program.
03:17 And what it is, is we have three beautiful purposes.
03:22 One is to provide you with good information and being able to learn how to deal with the
03:28 stress, how to deal with dealing with navigating the healthcare system, which anybody who's
03:33 ever had any kind of illness realizes is complicated, financial and legal issues.
03:40 So we have eight modules that are interactive, that when you have time, you go onto the program,
03:47 you tune into it, and then you can watch it whenever it's convenient for you.
03:52 It can be at night, it can be on a Sunday afternoon.
03:56 We directed it at the caregiver and the family, because very often, for so many years, we
04:02 go with my husband to the doctor, and he would be talking to Jack, and I'd be saying, and
04:08 Jack would say, "No, I'm feeling great."
04:09 And I'd say, "No, you were having problems."
04:12 And it was sort of like I was telling on him.
04:14 - I know, and that's something that, again, when you're sitting there, you have to.
04:18 - And what I realized is how many families aren't as nervy as I am.
04:23 You know, like, hey, let's talk.
04:24 - Get in there and start talking to them and everything, and that's why this program's
04:28 so important.
04:29 - We're teaching them how to handle the problems that come up, but also to learn to enjoy every
04:36 day, because it's not only about the stress, but it's really about the beauty and the gift
04:42 of having someone you care for, and that it is such a great privilege.
04:47 We also have in that same program a resource library, so all you have to do is click on
04:53 the particular resource you need.
04:56 In Arizona or even nationally, and you say, "Oh, I need legal assistance," or how about
05:01 dealing with insurance companies, hello?
05:03 It's all right there, and I love it, Barbara, and that's why we want you to go to aztv.com
05:08 right now.
05:09 You can find information there, or of course, right on the screen is their website, Very
05:12 Easy Maneuver, and great.
05:13 Barbara, thanks for coming in.
05:15 - Thank you.
05:16 - Appreciate it.
05:17 - And I want to say one more thing, and also when you get into the program, which you will
05:20 love, is that there's a chat room, and you have time to talk with other people who are
05:25 dealing with the same problems you are.
05:28 God bless.
05:29 - Thank you.
05:30 - And have a good weekend coming up, and I think it's the weekend, because sometimes
05:35 I don't know what day of the week it is.
05:37 - Every day, I love.
05:38 - Thank you.
05:39 - Thank you.
05:40 - Thank you, and thank you, AZTV.
05:41 - I love you.
05:41 - Bye.
05:46 - Bye.
05:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]