Dan's Papers - June 22, 2007 - Fighting Chance Cancer Counseling Here

Duncan Darrow had a lot to celebrate last Saturday. As the founder and chairman of Fighting Chance, a counseling and resource center for cancer patients located in Sag Harbor, he opened its new headquarters in the village on its fifth anniversary.

Formerly located in a tiny office behind the Kramoris Gallery on Main Street, Fighting Chance relocated up the road to 112 Hampton Street, on the corner of Jermain Avenue. Last Saturday afternoon, this Victorian house was decked out in orange and blue, as well as balloons of the same colors, tied to the fence. Orange and blue are the colors in their logo, which refer to a life preserver floating in the sea.

"We are grateful for this support for our non-profit organization, which has been able to serve thousands of cancer patients on the East End since we opened our doors in 2002," said Darrow. "During this time, we have counseled about 2,000 patients and caregivers, distributed 10,000 guides and received 5,000 visitors per month to our website, www.fightingchance.org." About 125 cancer patients and survivors, caregivers and community members turned out for the fundraiser in support of this much-needed organization, which was the first free-of-charge cancer counseling and resource center of its kind serving the East End. Visitors got a tour of the new office space, which has a counseling room and a library of information on all types of cancer. The library also has DVDs available with information on all types of cancer, which people can watch on a 32-inch TV in a separate room. Cancer patients can watch them alone or with family and friends to get a basic understanding of their disease.

"One of the biggest demands we see at Fighting Chance is for the free counseling we provide, by qualified and experienced professionals" said Darrow. "We are fortunate to have hired one of the nation's most experienced oncological social workers, Karrie Robinson, who was with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for sixteen years. As Director of Clinical Programs, she gives one-on-one counseling in person and she also leads support groups."

Fighting Chance also has Heather Matthews of Montauk, who was trained at the National Cancer Institute, as a Patient Navigator, helping patients wade through the stacks of information on cancer research and insurance needs. Matthews guides patients through Internet research, informs them about the side effects of chemotherapy and other therapies and helps find the most promising clinical trials.

Another staff member, Jessica Berlin, is the center's Director of Internet Outreach, who also helps patients get hard-to-find resources from the web.

Darrow said his center may be "best known for publishing a free guide, "Coping with Cancer on the East End," which is updated each year with 75 pages of hard to find local cancer care resources.

Darrow, of Sag Harbor, founded Fighting Chance five years ago. His first-hand experience of being a caregiver to his mother, who battled lung cancer, inspired him to provide a service to people on the East End who found themselves in a similar situation. As far as his mother was concerned, he saw the daily demands of managing her physical, emotional and intellectual needs and he decided to find a way to help others do the same.

"My motto is that everyone deserves a fighting chance, armed with as much information, research and counseling support as they need," he explained.

He also formed a board of directors made up of healthcare professionals and caring residents whose lives have been touched by cancer. This organization is independent of the hospitals and their funding comes solely from charitable contributions.

More events are scheduled for Fighting Chance, including a gala on August 25 and the third annual "Day of Hope" at the Bay Street Theater, a symposium with lectures on the latest cancer treatments by doctors in the field held on November 10. In July, a new, 25-page publication will be coming out quoting what the word "hope" means to East End cancer patients who have received counseling from Fighting Chance. For more information on Fighting Chance and their programs, call the new office at (631) 725-4646.