Understanding Your Fears: How To Be an Empowering Caregiver
Nov 03, 2022 7:00 PM (ET)
Supporting someone going through cancer requires holding space for them without projecting our fears. However, even with the best intentions, we will sometimes say the wrong thing. In this session, we will discuss the difference between empathy and sympathy. We will also talk about healthy communication and how to hold space for our fears. We’re in this together and will leave this session feeling more comfortable supporting our loved ones and empowered in our communication.
Moderator
Hailey Johnston (they/them/she/her)
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Hailey Johnston (they/them/she/her)
Founder and Board President at Escape, GVCC Empowerment Manager, GRYT Health
Hailey Johnston is the Founder and President of Escape, the first and only organization solely dedicated to serving LGBTQI2S+ Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients, Survivors, and Caregivers. Hailey also serves as the Empowerment Manager for the Global Virtual Cancer Conference at GRYT Health. Since their diagnosis with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2012 and being a caregiver for her mother and grandmother, Hailey has been passionate about better understanding and supporting the needs of the cancer community. This passion led to obtaining a B.A. in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, focusing their studies on cancer disparities, political determinants of health, health justice, and policy that creates equitable access to care for underrepresented communities. Hailey values deep conversation, community building, and amplifying the voices of those most overlooked in cancer care. When they’re not working, they’re likely spending time in nature with their pups or in the kitchen cooking with friends and family. Visual description: Hailey is a white, tall, queer, nonbinary woman with pixie style short, curly, dark brown hair.
Speakers
Sheena Pruitt, LGSW (she/her/hers)
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Sheena Pruitt, LGSW (she/her/hers)
Survivor, Caregiver, Advocate
Sheena is a two-time cancer survivor and a caregiver for her mother and grandmother during their battles with cancer. Sheena beat Ewing’s Sarcoma in 2006 after 14 rounds of chemo and a full knee replacement. Three years later (2009), her Granny was diagnosed with stomach cancer and a year (2011) after that her mother with Mesothelioma. In March of 2021, the doc confirmed that two lumps in her breast were in fact Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Stage 2a and that she was BRCA 1 positive.
Being a survivor prepared Sheena in ways to be a caregiver but there was still quite a learning curve. Resources were far and few between, and time was even more scarce. At 27 years old, Sheena was supporting both her household and her mothers’. Ultimately, her mom and Granny passed 62 days apart.
Sheena is a mom of four beautiful kids and serves as a Foster Care Social Worker and a C.A.R.E. Advocate with Imerman's Angels. As a Minnesota native, Sheena enjoys spending time at the lakes, live music, sporting events, and the many different restaurants theTwin Cities has to offer!
Yasmine Ramachandra, MS (she/her/they/them)
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Yasmine Ramachandra, MS (she/her/they/them)
Board Member, Escape
Yasmine (she/they) is a board member at Escape AYAC and brings her passion for community organizing and policy advocacy to this role. Seeing firsthand the disparities in care, research, and representation in healthcare informs her diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Their lived experience as someone of high-risk and as a former/current caregiver inspired Yasmine to pursue healthcare justice as a career. Yasmine graduated from Oberlin College with a B.A. in Biochemistry and Biology. She also holds an M.S. in Law from Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law. Yasmine is a disabled, queer, and nonbinary South Asian woman. Much like her identities, she works with an intersectional framework. With their science and law background, they aim to make policy, academic research, and healthcare services accessible to everyone.