On Counseling Awareness Day, join Trinity River Campus counseling and student support services, as well as community partners, to discover helpful support on-campus and in the community. Learn how to tap into the help you need for yourself and your loved ones. Be proactive about the care you and others need!
Cancer Care’s counseling team will be in attendance to share more about our emotional and social services for those impacted by cancer!
Our staff always makes us proud with their achievements and passion! Recently, Annie Presley, LCSW, became a Certified Grief Counseling Specialist (CGCS). Wow! The Certified Grief Counselor Specialist Evergreen Certification covers counseling for grief and loss through all stages of life.
Annie gained her Master’s in Social Work in 2005, became a clinical social worker in 2015, and has worked for Cancer Care Services as a counselor for over 15 years. Because Cancer Care Services is here to help EVERYONE impacted by cancer – Annie helps patients, caregivers, and family members cope with the emotional trauma caused by cancer.
She believes it is important to continue learning, especially about grief, because it is present in everyone’s life in various forms. Annie creates a safe place in her counseling sessions so her clients will feel comfortable working through their anxiety, loneliness, crisis situations, or grief. We are truly thankful to have staff like Annie, who are always looking for ways to better serve!
If you would like to receive counseling or other forms of support, please contact us at 817-923-0651 and ask to speak with a social worker email us at Info@CancerCareServices.org, or fill out our online form.
How do I begin to describe what Cancer Care Services means to me? Please allow me to start from the beginning. My journey with Cancer Care started when I was a Master of Social Work Intern, 15 years ago. After graduating and obtaining my Master’s level license, I was offered a position.
I was thrilled to begin working with cancer patients, survivors, and their families as a cancer navigator – especially because I was working in a field very close to my heart. Not only did I have a brother who died from esophageal cancer in 1999, but I had battled breast cancer just two years prior to being hired at Cancer Care Services.
Then, during my first two months at Cancer Care, I started experiencing physical issues that were troubling. I went to my oncologist, and tests revealed Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I was hospitalized and began chemo right away. My supervisor kindly advocated for me to remain employed at Cancer Care Services, and even hired a social worker on a temporary basis to hold my position while I received treatment.
As someone who has experienced multiple cancer diagnoses, and who is now a survivor, I know all too well the financial burdens and family stressors that cancer causes. Despite cancer, I was able to continue my education and am now the full-time counselor for Cancer Care! Working here has been a calling since the beginning.
I have been blessed to know so many wonderful clients and friends throughout my 15-year career. I am proud to work for an agency that has been a part of Fort Worth for 73 years, and I know Cancer Care Services will continue this awesome work in Tarrant County for many years to come.
Our relationship with Cancer Care Services began shortly after my husband, David, was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in the summer of 2017. He was only 30 years old, and our entire world was turned upside down in an instant. Not only were we navigating treatment options, pain management, leave from work, huge financial changes, and the weight of the word “terminal,” but we had three children at home.
Our entire family has received support from Cancer Care, from play therapy for the kids to individual counseling for us. Even after David died, my family has continued to receive counseling services. My daughter loves her time with Miss Kim and cherishes their relationship. I enthusiastically recommend Cancer Care any chance I get, because they have made our walk so much easier. We know that we can reach out to them for support or for resources, and we are so thankful that Cancer Care Services exists to support patients and families.
-Nikki Belshe
Cancer is a thief. It sneaks up on us and steals our loved ones, friends, and coworkers. For firefighters, it robs us of our dignity, strength, identity, careers, and lives. The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) says that cancer is now the leading cause of death among firefighters.
Firefighters are typically mentally, emotionally, and physically strong. They are often identified as tactical athletes whose profession demands stamina, ruggedness, and grit. So what happens when one is diagnosed with cancer? The “C” word is a direct blow to one’s ego and sense of control. Feelings of helplessness and powerlessness come flooding into one’s life. The roles shift from first responder, primary provider, and caregiver to the one needing help.
One retired firefighter recently told me that he was so traumatized by his cancer diagnosis and treatment regimen that he feels like he has post-traumatic stress disorder. Before diagnosis, he worked at a very busy fire station, was confident in his competence, and took great pride in his work. He described the firefighters at his station as “family” because together they prepared and ate meals, worked out, and responded to emergency medical calls and fires.
When he was diagnosed, he was embarrassed and did not want to tell anyone. He feared being perceived as weak, vulnerable, and unable to perform his job. Consequently, he suffered in silence, isolated himself while this disease robbed him of his relationships, health, confidence, and career.
He described many losses in his life such as loss of physical ability to do his job, loss of relationship with his fellow firefighters, and loss of identity as a rescuer. He identifies himself as someone who was born to do this job and this is the only profession he ever wanted to do. During and after treatment, he felt like a “has been” because physically he could no longer fight fires.
Ironically, fighting fires (the thing he loved to do) is probably the culprit for his cancer due to exposure to the products of combustion. (Firefighters have a greater risk of being diagnosed with cancer and an even greater risk of dying from the disease compared to the general populations of the US, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH.)
The late Stuart Scott (ESPN sportscaster and often-quoted recipient of the Jimmy V Award at the 2014 ESPY Awards) said, “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.”
Like many, this firefighter openly questioned why he got cancer: he ate a healthy diet, worked out, was kind, and was always willing to help others. His course of therapy included many months of surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation. He described living in a lonely world void of companionship.
For a while, he lost his purpose in life because he was no longer a physically fit firefighter. His drive to help others was significantly diminished and although he had many family members, friends, and co-workers willing to help, he was unable to accept support. The thoughts about his cancer and the end of his firefighting career became all-consuming. Fortunately, a turning point came.
The turning point for him was the day when he was no longer embarrassed to ask for help. He realized his life was spinning out of control and he sought counseling.
Because of the nature of the work: providing help in times of crisis, the fire service is a sub-culture with a unique perspective and unfamiliar needs. I am proud that Cancer Care Services has chosen to partner with local fire departments to help firefighters and their families navigate the complex system of care called into action after diagnosis.
As part of the Fort Worth Firefighters Cancer Focus Group (FWFF), Cancer Care has helped coordinate a symposium planned for September 6, 2019. Understanding that the fire service is a unique community that wants to take care of itself so it can care for others, the symposium will bring community resources together to educate members of the fire service family on the latest developments in prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
Further, Cancer Care Services provides professional counseling and cancer case management to firefighters and their families. It is my hope, and Cancer Care’s, that one day soon Cancer Care’s professional team will include a Cancer Navigator specializing in helping first responders and their families answer a different type of emergency call.
Today, the retired firefighter I described earlier is a courageous cancer warrior and survivor. For him, what matters is not what he lost but what he has gained. Firefighters – like so many going through cancer treatment – are brave and resilient, often because of support and insight gained from organizations like Cancer Care Services.
Cancer Care Services empowers clients to regain their dignity, sense of identity, and control. When they feel supported, cancer can’t define nor steal an individual’s strength of character. Cancer may be a thief but it cannot “cripple love, shatter hope . . . [or] steal eternal life.”
