{"id":3461,"date":"2019-01-24T17:02:16","date_gmt":"2019-01-24T17:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cancerhopenetwork.org\/?p=3461"},"modified":"2023-11-13T14:24:21","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T19:24:21","slug":"hh-bag-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cancerhopenetwork.org\/blog\/hh-bag-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope Helpers: Bag It","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cNo one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it.\u201d<\/em>
\nH.E. Luccock<\/em><\/p>\n

At Cancer Hope Network, we\u2019re proud to be part of an \u201corchestra\u201d of collaboration \u2013 working with community organizations and nonprofits to provide support for patients and caregivers around the nation. The Hope Helpers series highlights the work of some of these amazing allies.<\/em><\/p>\n

Totes for groceries or suitcases for travel. Duffels for the gym and backpacks for hiking. A glittery clutch for a night on the town and even something to brew tea. The options are endless, with a bag for pretty much every need.
\n\"match<\/a>But if you\u2019re facing cancer, there\u2019s one bag that\u2019s here to help: The Bag It bag. And if you\u2019re looking for a Bag It bag, Mindy Griffith, Bag It\u2019s Executive Director, is the person to know. We caught up with Mindy to talk about her own journey and the work Bag It is doing to empower patients and families.<\/p>\n

Bag It<\/a> is an Arizona-based nonprofit founded by Sherri Romanoski, a former kindergarten teacher and cancer survivor, with one goal: to fight the fear that comes with diagnosis. That mission continues to this day, working to \u201ceducate, support and empower those impacted by cancer.\u201d The organization accomplishes this with two programs: the Bag It bag and ESCAPE to Thrive, an annual leadership conference for advocates and survivors.<\/p>\n

Bag It began with newly-diagnosed patients in mind. The bag includes a printed binder of materials and resources to help patients and caregivers manage the information and paperwork that\u2019s flooding them. The goal is simple, but strategic. \u201cBag It is a starting point,\u201d Mindy says. \u201cIdeally, people get it from their provider, close to the start of their diagnosis. It has a glossary of basic terms. It has printed versions of reliable cancer booklets and information. It includes key forms they may need.\u201d
\n\"eHOPE\u201cMedical professionals tell us that the bag and the information it provides helps those with cancer to be more engaged in their treatment. Research tells us engaged patients experience better outcomes,\u201d she continues. \u201cWe know the internet has tons of valuable resources. But there is SO MUCH. Bag It helps people to focus. We\u2019re helping people have information at their fingertips. We\u2019re providing tips to guide you along the way. The Bag It bag is providing information to empower them as they navigate this new language, this new world.\u201d<\/p>\n

The My Companion Guidebook is an elegantly simple solution: organizing the jumble of paper and information that accompanies a cancer fight – from logs to keep track of side effects and symptoms to forms to keep tabs on medications. There\u2019s even a place to include personal copies of your tests and results. \u201cElectronic medical records from different doctors don\u2019t talk to each other. We\u2019ve had patients tell us they got to an appointment with a new doctor, only to find out their records hadn\u2019t yet arrived from their referring physician. Having a copy of their scans in their Bag It binder meant they could continue those appointments and didn\u2019t have to reschedule.\u201d
\n\"eHOPE
\nAfter a career in education, first as a teacher and then as a school administrator, Mindy is firm in her belief that \u201cKnowledge is power. The more knowledge you have, the more you can advocate for yourself. You need not be afraid to speak up. You are the only one who can take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

She has found great fulfillment as she leads Bag It. For her, it\u2019s personal. \u201cMy father and grandmother passed away from cancer. My mother is a cancer survivor.\u201d She\u2019s inspired by the stories of how Bag It has helped people. \u201cWe hear from a lot of caregivers who have used it. I had a patient tell me how helpful it was when he went to an appointment without his (caregiver) wife and had all the information he needed in his Bag It bag. It\u2019s giving people a sense of knowledge and awareness.\u201d<\/p>\n

The organization recently celebrated its 15th<\/sup> anniversary. It was an opportunity to look at their successes and to map out their future. The group worked with an outside research company to interview medical providers, patients and caregivers who\u2019d used the bag \u2013 and those who received the bag and didn\u2019t end up using it. They focused on two questions: \u201cWhat more can we do? How can we continue what we\u2019re offering and be supportive for people at all phases of survivorship?\u201d<\/p>\n

The result is a renewed focus on empowering patients and families along the continuum of survivorship to be advocates for themselves. It\u2019s taken the form of a redesigned bag, binder and the resource support that accompanies the program.
\n\"Bag_Binder_pubs.png\"\u201cAs an educator, I know that everyone learns differently,\u201d Mindy said. \u201cWe\u2019ve included messages of hope and more information to help Bag It users feel confident in being their own advocates. We\u2019ve streamlined the way we present some information, we\u2019ve added more resources online, we\u2019ve worked to incorporate different ways you can use the forms to make sure the information is accessible to a wide variety of people.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about the future, Mindy is proud. \u201cI\u2019m really excited about our new bag. The concept has always been phenomenal. The feeling you get from the new bag is incredible. It has a new level of hope, more content. It\u2019s a great tool for both the survivor and the caregiver.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bag It is teaching, guiding and empowering cancer patients and caregivers.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":23,"featured_media":8645,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[255],"tags":[291,24,292],"post_folder":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHope Helpers: Bag It<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Totes for groceries or suitcases for travel. Duffels for the gym and backpacks for hiking. 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