Monday, October 25, 2010
By LINDA M. LINONIS
liberty
Google a topic such as cancer, and the return is 292 million sites. Visiting each and digesting the information would be daunting, if not impossible.
That’s why Jack Savage came up with the idea of creating a website, www.managecancer.org, to provide cancer patients and their families with valuable resource information. He did so to honor his late wife, Christine Camardese Savage, who waged a 10-year battle with brain tumors. She died Jan. 27, 2009, a week before her 32nd birthday.
The website, Savage said, is a service provided by Christina’s Garden, a nonprofit organization based in Youngstown. At www.christinasgarden.org, the site chronicles Christine’s life with cancer. It is so named because she had a love of gardening.
Savage said the www.managecancer.org, site was designed by his brother-in-law, Jason Bressler. Savage said he spent the better part of last year researching all the various sites he has listed. He visited each site and talked with representatives of the organizations.
“I got permission to use their logos with the information. People had so many stories to tell,” he said. About one-fourth of the websites were ones he knew about; the others were new to him.
Savage said he will continue to add new sites as he learns about them and checks them out. Visitors to www.managecancer.org,g also may suggest sites.
www.managecancer.org, is organized into four categories. The sites listed in the categories feature the organization’s logo and a synopsis of services.
Categories are:
Organization assistance: This provides links to resources to assist cancer patients and their families with the day-to-day management of the disease including online ways to update loved ones, keeping track of medications and appointments and managing household tasks.
Financial support: This section gives links to where cancer patients can find financial assistance for medical bills, medications, legal issues, travel and accommodations.
Support and education: This section provides links to sites so that patients and families can learn about cancer, treatment and recovery. These organizations help patients deal with the disease.
Loved ones: This section gives caregivers and loved ones suggestions and ideas on ways they can help cancer patients.
Savage said even though he and his late wife used computers, it was late in her battle with cancer that the couple learned, via online research, about “wonderful resources” available. Savage said he considers his work of compiling the resources as tribute to his late wife.
“The site provides one manageable location that is easy to navigate,” he said. “We wanted to have a site that was easy to understand and access.”
Savage acknowledged the project was “therapeutic” for him because it was a way for him to help cancer patients and their families.
He said he has received some e-mails and the feedback has been positive.
The website was launched Sept. 29. A party is planned at 8 p.m. Nov. 5 at West Fork Roadhouse, 3850 Belmont Ave., with a DJ. There’s no admission charge; participants will pay their own way.
A benefit for Christina’s Garden nonprofit will be Jan. 8 at Liberty High School with musical entertainment by Leigh Jaffer and Joe Falleti and comedic storyteller John Hudson. Last year’s event attracted some 400 people.
For more information, send e-mail to jack@christinasgarden.org or at the Christina’s Garden office at 330-746-9737.