Cancer Foundation Welcomes All

(disponibles seulement en anglais)

The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is taking part in Welcoming Ottawa this week by opening the doors of its Maplesoft Centre for Cancer Survivorship, to help spread the word about its many services. As its web site explains, the Maplesoft Centre was designed to be a place of “quiet refuge, reflection, support and empowerment to cancer patients and their families throughout the cancer journey. The interior of the Centre is warm and welcoming, with all elements centered on creating a calm and relaxing atmosphere for all who visit.”

In this guest post, the Cancer Foundation’s Samantha Blair explains a bit about the Centre and its Welcoming Ottawa Week event.

The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation is pleased to be taking part in Welcoming Ottawa Week this year. The Cancer Foundation has a commitment to providing personalized care in our community. To ensure that health care remains accessible to new and long-time residents, we offer interpretation services to help overcome language and cultural barriers to care, as well as a new multifaith and meditation suite to facilitate quiet reflection and prayer.

On Wednesday, June 24 we invite you to visit us at our Alta Vista centre to take part in:

• information sessions about Cancer Coaching, a service unique to the Centre that provides Cancer patients with education, support and practical skills development to help meet your physical, emotional, informational, and spiritual needs
• tours of the Maplesoft Centre
• Qigong classes
• snacks and information on nutrition

Qigong is a meditative practice that focuses on aligning breath and movement together. Maya, the Qigong instructor, describes the importance of Qigong best when she says:

“We all have daily hygiene routines, such as brushing our teeth and washing our hands. With the growing popularity of Yoga and Qigong, we are learning that maintaining the daily hygiene of our energy is just as important as maintaining the hygiene of the body.”

Maya started practicing Qigong seven years ago while undergoing radiation therapy. This meditative practice helped her recover and changed her way of thinking about health. She has a background in science and is interested in bridging ancient and modern knowledge to benefit physical, mental and spiritual health.

If you’d like to learn more about Cancer Coaching or explore Qigong, please join us!

Location: Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, 1500 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa, ON  K1G 3Y9. The building is fully accessible and there is free parking available on site.

Cost: No cost thanks to our generous supporter, the Ontario Trillium Foundation

Date: Wednesday June 24th

• First Session from 12:30 to 1:30 pm
• Second Session from 2:30 to 3:30 pm

Space is limited for the Qigong sessions, so please register by contacting Samantha Blair by phone 613-247-3527 or email: sblair@ottawacancer.ca