Our Story

Written by Fidelia Butt

The diagnosis of cancer changes one’s life and the lives of others. Understandably, among many things, it can be a frightening, confusing, depressing, emotional, and burdensome experience. Most of us will eventually know someone personally who has been affected by cancer, especially given the increasing incidence in this country. One of the most important things that bring comfort for someone with the diagnosis of cancer is to know someone cares.

May Bakken and I met a year ago helping at a charity event. We’ve developed a friendship and shared a common interest in community service. In addition, we discovered we both had family members affected by cancer. In July, 2003, we started discussing how we could integrate these two interests. At the time, we could not find many cancer support groups addressing specific needs of the Asian American community and this motivated us to initiate the Asian American Cancer Support Network.

Our first meeting of a handful of interested family and friends was held in July, 2003 included Kendra, Helen, Julie, Greg, Carolyn, Doug, Kristen, Justin, May, and myself. The enthusiasm was present and from there, it has grown so much!

The mission of the Asian American Cancer Support Network is to become a community resource network for Asian Americans affected by cancer in the Bay Area, through social programs, and fundraising. There are other larger, wonderful organizations addressing cancer, but AACSN hopes to reach out to people, especially in the underserved communities, on a more personal level.

We are excited about the support we have received and the programs we will be able to provide. We are setting up a care basket program to provide “starter kits” for patients newly diagnosed with cancer. Our baskets will include pamphlets introducing the concept of chemotherapy and radiation, comfort care products, a relaxation CD, appointment calendars, and best of all, handmade hats by volunteers for patients who may lose their hair during treatments. We also are planning a series of workshops addressing cancer and fatigue, Eastern medicine, relaxation and health exercises such as Qi Gong and Tai Chi, and nutrition.

And importantly, we want to provide emotional support for those undergoing the difficult experience of cancer. We have a team of health care professionals working on setting up a program to provide cancer patients and their families a forum to discuss their experiences either in a group setting or matched with a survivor or patient undergoing similar treatment.

The Asian American Cancer Support Network hopes to fill a need in the community by bringing people from diverse cultures together for a very important cause. AACSN is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization run completely by volunteers. The volunteers at AACSN truly appreciate all of your support and look forward to seeing you at future events and programs.