As we enter the month of September, Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to share with you vital news about the foundation and the efforts being made to expand our mission of peer support and advocacy for the parents of children with cancer and blood disorders.

Since our relocation to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2013, I have been working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Western Michigan, and am currently the President of the chapter.  LLS has become a partner in the growth of Lainie’s Angels, helping us to reach out to parents whose children are currently battling blood cancers. Blood cancers make up the largest percentage of cancer in children and adults, and Lainie’s Angels is currently developing a network of support with the help of LLS, to bring our mission of mentoring and advocacy to these parents.    We are grateful to LLS for recognizing the need parents have for support and their commitment to helping us create a network of support through their local chapters, in Michigan and nationally.

In 2012, St. Jude’s Hospital presented a landmark study on peer support and parent advocacy, a milestone in the history of this type of service.  Today, best practices are being created for hospitals all over the country, in order to provide this service in a standardized form of care. I am a member of this committee.  We held our first meeting in June and will meet again in September, to further discuss these practices. Here is an example of what is being discussed:

There are 6 basic mentoring skills that we teach during the Parent Mentor training: active listening, using open ended questions, being comfortable with silence, using what you know, validating parent perspectives, and recognizing your limits and influence. Each of these skills is a tool that you probably already possess, and they are things that you may use on a regular basis without ever knowing it. The purpose of teaching and reviewing these skills is to help you become more mindful of your presence and your role during the mentoring session itself. Learning these skills will hopefully help you feel more prepared to enter into the mentoring relationship.

For eighteen years, Lainie’s Angels has been at the forefront of this mission and our invitation to participate in its further development, is a validation of our pioneering movement to provide this service.

Both these events have provided the impetus for our future growth and I ask for your continued support, as we begin the next chapter in our fight to provide this currently unmeet human need, the need parents have to help their children battle cancer and blood disorders.  Please consider a donation during the month of September and thank you for your generosity over the last eighteen years. The future is bright!

Stathi Afendoulis

Founder/ Executive Director Lainie’s Angels