We got a GRANT! February Newsletter

FEBRUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER

In this issue:

We got a GRANT!
Valentine's Raffle preview
Meet the team: Xiomara Romero

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We got a GRANT!

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Fran’s Place - Center for Cancer Counseling recently received $10,000 from the Community Partner Grant awarded by Tower Cancer Research Foundation. Thanks to this grant, we can expand our services to provide an additional 100 hours of No-Charge Psycho-Oncology services to adult patients, and to parents who have a child with cancer, who reside in Southern California. Therapeutic services are delivered by Licensed Clinicians who specialize in cancer and improving Quality of Life for patients and their families.

Our founder, Dr. Frances Baumgarten, Clinical Psychologist and two time survivor of cancer, expressed her enthusiasm at being awarded this grant by saying “It is absolutely heartwarming to know that The Center can continue to expand the important work of supporting patients and families in our communities, in particular during this tremendously difficult time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the emotional and financial toll it has taken on all of us and throughout all of our communities.”

Since 2000, the Mission of Fran’s Place - Center for Cancer Counseling is to help cancer patients and their family members maintain a quality of life that is productive, fulfilling, rewarding, successful, and happy.

Founded in 1996, Tower Cancer Research Foundation primarily funds medical cancer research. Each year Tower also awards grants to other non-profit organizations providing vital support to those in need throughout the Southern California cancer community. Through this Community Partner Grant program, Tower is able to extend the reach of their patient support programs to include childhood cancer survivors, low-income patients, and underserved young adults.

VALENTINE'S DAY RAFFLE IS COMING THIS WEEK!

All we need is LOVE, GOOD HEALTH, WINE, and CHOCOLATE!

Watch your email for our special Valentine's Day Raffle. Enter to win this beautiful wine and chocolate basket, or fabulous restaurant gift cards! Details coming next week!

Meet the Team

Xiomara Romero, LMFT

An unfortunate reality is that most people can say they know someone or have been personally impacted by cancer. I have come to see how the effects of having a cancer diagnosis can have a ripple effect (mentally, emotionally, psychologically, financially) on the individual, and on their families and friends. Similar to the effects of other types of trauma, it can sometimes be as though someone has picked up the world you were familiar with, shaking up that reality, and replacing the foundation with uncertainty.

As a child, I was always curious and very inquisitive. Being a parent now of two inquisitive incredible minds, I can understand the beauty of this quality, while recognizing the challenges it brings with demands for age-appropriate information. My curiosity developed into wanting to learn about people and the relationships to our environment and experiences. Based on this curiosity, in combination with having parents that instilled a sense of social justice and mutual respect for humanity, I chose my professional path to become a psychotherapist. My first professional experiences were at San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care, where I completed my internship. During my training, I encountered many clients who were facing terminal illnesses, including cancer. Every single one of my clients had an impact on my development as a therapist. Being one of the few bilingual and bi-cultural clinicians, I quickly became aware of the great need and gap for culturally appropriate mental health services. I saw the importance being able to provide a non-judgmental, safe space for people to connect in their native language and the opportunity to connect to their memories, fears and legacies.

My first personal experience with the effects of cancer was learning about my cousin who had died of Leukemia when she was two years old. The grief and loss that my aunt and our family experienced was something that created a difficult reality of life, death and loss. While I was too young to understand the word cancer or the concept of death, I was old enough to witness the void it left in our family. Several years later our family faced another member in our family diagnosed with cancer. My aunt had come to stay with us shortly after her treatment for breast cancer. Although she had gone through many changes physically, the psychological impact had taken a toll on her recovery. Panic and fear took over her life and she was experiencing a Major Depressive episode. She was faced with mixed emotions of gratitude of having a cure and treatment for cancer and yet at the same time a severe lack of motivation, and interest in the things that normally would bring her joy. She was able to break away from the stigma of seeking mental health services and slowly began addressing the psychological scars in therapy that still needed much healing. I share these two family experiences because they highlight some of the mental health needs arising for cancer patients and their families.

These personal and professional narratives have strengthened my work as a clinician and my passion for providing culturally appropriate counseling services. The Center For Cancer Counseling has provided this opportunity for cancer patients and their families to receive the psychological support they need during their healing process regardless of the financial barriers they may be facing.

Xiomara Romero is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. She received her BA in Psychology from Long Beach State, and her MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from San Diego State. Xiomara has helped many individuals, couples and families from a variety of backgrounds (cultures, race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and age groups). She has extensive experience working with families going through the grief and loss process. She has a strong social justice background in advocating for change, is an Ally for the LGBTQ community, and a strong believer in racial equality. Xiomara believes that every individual is resilient and can overcome obstacles with the right tools and support. She supports clients in both English and Spanish.