Health

HE A LTH • Winter 2019 13 H The Healing Garden has two acres of landscaped gardens that were donated by Bill Thurston after his wife, Virginia, for whom the center is named, died of breast cancer in 1999. 210 Lincoln St., Worcester, MA 01605, 508.983.6790, massccn.org Your Community Partner For MassHealth members, aged 3-64 with complex lifelong needs, MCCN works with your primary care team to coordinate care for your optimum health and wellbeing. Contact us at 508.983.6790 or info@massccn.org to ask about your eligibility, today! Cancer decline Cancer cases, as well as the number of deaths, have fallen in recent decades. Cancer patients also have better odds of surviving. Note: Number of new cases and deaths are observed rates. Percent surviving is a modeled rate. * Per 100,000 people. Source: National Cancer Institute 1992 ............................................ 503 .................................213 ..................................61% 1993 ............................................ 487 .................................213 ..................................61% 1994 ............................................ 475 .................................212 ..................................62% 1995 ............................................ 472 .................................210 ..................................62% 1996 ............................................ 473 .................................207 ..................................63% 1997 ............................................ 479 .................................204 ..................................64% 1998 ............................................ 480 .................................201 ..................................64% 1999 ............................................ 482 .................................201 ..................................65% 2000 ............................................ 475 .................................199 ..................................65% 2001 ............................................ 479 .................................196 ..................................66% 2002 ............................................ 475 .................................194 ..................................66% 2003 ............................................ 464 .................................191 ..................................67% 2004 ............................................ 466 .................................187 ..................................67% 2005 ............................................ 461 .................................185 ..................................68% 2006 ............................................ 462 .................................182 ..................................68% 2007 ............................................ 469 .................................179 ..................................69% 2008 ............................................ 463 .................................176 ..................................70% 2009 ............................................ 462 .................................173 ..................................69% 2010 ............................................ 452 .................................172 ..................................69% 2011 ............................................ 445 .................................169 ..................................69% 2012 ............................................ 432 .................................166 ..................................69% 2013 ............................................ 426 .................................163 ..................................69% 2014 ............................................ 423 .................................161 ..................................69% 2015 ............................................ 422 .................................159 ..................................69% 2016 ............................................ 416 .................................156 ..................................69% Number of Number of % surviving Year new cases* deaths* five years The garden acts as a refuge. "It gives them instantaneous distance from being just about cancer," Koch said. Patients, Koch said, typically first arrive at the center for support groups before turning to the peaceful effects of the gardens. They find the services exactly what they need after going through the toll of cancer treatment, said Brianne Carter, the garden's co-director of integrative care. "Oncology is pretty relentless," Carter said. Growing services The garden has quietly gained a reputation among hospitals in the area, getting referrals from hospitals and centers including Dana-Farber, UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Lowell General Hospital, Emerson Hospital in Concord. In fiscal 2019, the garden tallied nearly 3,600 patient visits from more than 300 clients and caregivers. More than 300 therapeutic and educational programs and classes were held. The garden's more than 1,500 clients in the past nearly two decades have come from 165 cities and towns across the state, with most coming from Acton, Concord and Harvard. Around 30 affiliated practitioners come to the center to give yoga, acupuncture, and other classes. As its clientele base has grown, the garden has expanded with a new support center it opened in 2008 after a $1-million fundraising campaign. In 2012, it began serving both men and women, and patients no matter their cancer diagnosis. It has also begun collaborations with other nonprofits, including the Worcester Family Health Center, and launched educational programs including one with Lesley University so graduate students of the Cambridge school can complete internships there. The services are free for about a quarter of patients who qualify financially, and transportation to and from the garden is offered for free to clients who need it. The garden's staff has seen views of less traditional methods of care evolve. What was once called complementary or alternative medicine is now called integrative medicine, and it's typically viewed as more central to caring for patients. "Totally, the paradigm has shifted," Koch said. Among those benefiting from the less-traditional means of care was Daugherty, the breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed just after moving to Royalston with her husband, Scott. They were planning to start a family. "Suddenly, we had to put everything aside," she said. Daugherty, who teaches music in Worcester, said her Taiwanese family had bad experiences with western medicine and was pushing her to use treatment considering bettering a patient's whole body. Daugherty had a double mastectomy, and said she felt ready to quit chemotherapy before arriving at the garden. At the healing garden, an acupuncture class helped with the side effects of chemotherapy, while the staff and other patients supported her through the fight. "They would inspire me all the time," she said. "When I was sick, I felt like no one could understand how I felt."

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