Cancer Support Community
CSC uplifts and strengthens people impacted by cancer by providing support, fostering compassionate communities, and breaking down barriers to care through education, research, and advocacy.www.cancersupportcommunity.org
22
MENTIONS
4
EPISODES
4
PODCASTS
Search complete. 22 mentions across 4 episodes found for "Cancer Support Community".
Sep 14, 2026
Benjamin HallHOST
My guest today is Sally Werner.
Benjamin HallHOST
She's the CEO of Cancer Support Community.
Benjamin HallHOST
And Sally has spent more than 25 years working in oncology, nursing, hospice, palliative care, and healthcare leadership, and she has seen cancer from almost every angle, a clinician, a leader, and also personally within her own family.
Benjamin HallHOST
And on this podcast, we often talk to people who have gone through something that's really difficult or traumatic.
Benjamin HallHOST
Well, Cancer Support Community is a group that does that.
Benjamin HallHOST
It helps people get through the worst.
Benjamin HallHOST
It directs them.
Benjamin HallHOST
It, it teaches people how to do that as well.
MarkHOST
So as you continue to grow and, and scale your business, as you continue to be thrust into this world of entrepreneurship and business, um, just remind us, what was your why? What was your calling?
Jeralyn GlassGUEST
My calling was I remember laying in my bed not long after my son passed and just saying, "You know what? If you don't pull yourself up by the bootstraps, if you don't get your freaking self out of bed, you're never gonna get out of bed." And then I just got this idea to call the Cancer Support Community and ask if I could volunteer leading meditations.
Jeralyn GlassGUEST
Now, mind you, I had never led a meditation in my life.
MarkHOST
Mm.
Jeralyn GlassGUEST
But it was like I knew there was something bigger inside of me that just said, "If you don't do something outside of yourself, that's the end of life for you." And so that started it.
Jeralyn GlassGUEST
I started volunteering at the Cancer Support Community, which is a nonprofit that helps cancer patients and their families with alternative methods of healing, wellness, et cetera.
Jeralyn GlassGUEST
And, um, that started it, Mark.
Jeralyn GlassGUEST
It was like I got out of my own poor me and this can't be my life, and how could this have happened? I got out of that, and I got into service, and then the, the business grew out of that.
Melissa GrosbellHOST
I am your host, Melissa Grosbell, and joining me today is Vic Ortiz.
Melissa GrosbellHOST
And Vic is a metastatic prostate cancer patient and a therapeutic facilitator of support groups at the Bay Area Cancer Support Community.
Melissa GrosbellHOST
Vic holds an MA degree in psychology and has a background in the treatment of substance use disorders, but spent most of his career as an organization development consultant, where he trained and coached thousands of business leaders in the management of organization change and collaborative leadership.
Melissa GrosbellHOST
Diagnosed in 2017 with an aggressive type of prostate cancer, Vic was advised by a friend to find a cancer support group.
5 MINS LATER
Vic OrtizGUEST
And they may generalize it to somebody and say, well, if you don't do surgery, you could do radiation.
Vic OrtizGUEST
But they are not expert in the six, seven, eight different kinds of radiation that are currently available or why one is better than the other or what the side effect profile is and so on and so on.
Vic OrtizGUEST
One of the things that I find that's really challenging when working with the cancer support community and the prostate cancer two support groups.
Vic OrtizGUEST
We had one for localized contained prostate cancer that we hope is curable and one for people like me who were caught too late and the cancer had gotten out of the prostate and into the bloodstream and is now in the bones or in organs and so on.
John GehringHOST
In fact, it impacts their finances, their social, emotional, and mental well-being.
John GehringHOST
And one great asset that we have here in Rochester is the cancer support community, which addresses all of these areas.
John GehringHOST
I'm John Gehring.
John GehringHOST
This is Rochester Speaks, and I'm joined today by Colleen Parsons and Rob Pultrino, who are both co-chairs for the Heroes Ball event coming up, which we will get to in just a moment.
John GehringHOST
And how is that made possible? Is it through the generosity of our community? Is there government help as well? How are you able to do that for free?
Colleen ParsonsGUEST
Yeah, mainly, and Rob, you can back me up on this, but mainly it's fundraising.
Colleen ParsonsGUEST
I know we do try to get grants from the government as well, but mainly without the support of the Rochester community, cancer support community at Gilda's Club would not be around.
John GehringHOST
Yeah, wow.