October 2022 NEWSLETTER

In this issue:

  • Fall Basket Raffle
  • Meet the Team - Martin Perez, PhD
  • We Want You to Know...

FALL BASKET RAFFLE

TOWER OF TREATS

Welcome fall with this one-of-a-kind “Tower of Treats Wine Package”. 


A festive assortment of high-quality wines and champagne paired with a variety of sweet and savory treats arrives just in time for your holiday gatherings. 


A $100 Whole Foods gift-card is included for any additional last minute items. 


The autumnal accents, tiered wooden stand, and wire-basket can be reused for entertaining throughout the holiday season and beyond.


Estimated Value: $500

Raffle Tickets:

$20 = 1 ticket

$50 = 3 tickets

$100 = 7 tickets

$300 = 25 tickets

($300 donation includes one year membership in Circle of Hope)



BUY RAFFLE TICKETS

Your raffle tickets will be electronically issued and winner will be chosen by random drawing on Friday evening, October 28th. Basket will be delivered locally (in southern CA) on Saturday October 29th, or a time mutually convenient.


Thanks for supporting Fran's Place! Your raffle ticket purchase helps support our mission to provide licensed professional counseling to cancer patients and their families at no-charge.


HAPPY FALL!


BUY RAFFLE TICKETS


Meet the Team


Martin Perez, PhD

Dr. Martin Perez is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in private practice. He has conducted psycho-oncology research and provided psychological treatment to medical patients and their loved ones for over 20 years. Here is his story of his involvement with Fran’s Place:

 

I’ve provided psychological treatment to cancer patients for over two decades. I connected to Fran’s Place in 2013 while in the process of moving my Psychology practice from LA County to Orange County. I joined the Board in 2014, and I still serve as an active member as well as a clinician providing care to patients and their loved ones.

 

My early research experience in my undergraduate training focused on how people vary widely in their ability to cope with complex medical situations.  Initially I focused on cardiac patients. I was trying to investigate how medical patients, who by comparison have very similar medical diagnoses and treatment courses, can look so differently psychologically. Some patients are able to exhibit hardiness and adaptive coping, while other patients struggle psychologically and cope maladaptively. In graduate school at USC, my mentor/professor was studying the very same subject area, but focusing exclusively on cancer patients.  I began working with cancer patients at that time. 

 

Because cancer typically is a chronic stressor, with many twists and turns, and is lopsided toward uncontrollables, coping in the face of cancer lends itself quite well to psychological interventions.  And the meaning gained in helping patients in need is a fortuitous gift that I try not to take for granted.  


Every opportunity I have to provide psychological care and support to a person dealing with cancer is meaningful and impactful. I’ve probably learned more from my patients than I have taught them, but through the years I’ve been able to impart that shared knowledge to hundreds of patients. At first, many patients are naturally uncertain and quite apprehensive about how they will successfully maneuver through their cancer experience. When a patient is feeling unsettled about their future and experiencing new-found psychological distress (even after completing medical treatment), this is what I share with them: Being cancer-free does not immediately free you of the cancer experience. Critical health issues provide an opportunity to think about things differently. Cancer involves more than a change in health status, it can also cause shifts in the way you think about yourself, the world, your work situation and your relationships with others. My aim is to assist patients in evaluating these changes and finding a positive way to approach them. Being part of my patients’ very personal journey is an invaluable gift of meaningfulness and a reminder of how important it is to live in the here-and-now, have gratitude, and not to sweat the small stuff.

 

I am involved with Fran’s Place because it is emblematic of the dedication, generosity, and support that anyone coping with cancer deserves to receive. It is rare to find mental health professionals who specialize in oncology, and even more rare for patients to be able to access this specialized care at no-cost. Many families who are affected by cancer face financial hardships and medical insurance challenges that can keep them from accessing good quality psychological care. Fran’s Place dedicates itself to serving those who are most vulnerable and is as an excellent resource in the community.

WE WANT YOU TO KNOW...

Connect with us:

Facebook  Instagram  Twitter  Linkedin  


Copyright © 2022, Fran's Place - Center for Cancer Counseling, All rights reserved.



Fran’s Place / Center for Cancer Counseling is a nonprofit 501(c)3. 
Tax ID: 33-0877271. Donations are tax deductible. 
All donor information is kept confidential.


Mail address: 450 Apollo Street Suite E, Brea, California 92821