Supporting through knowledge Supporting through knowledge (December 17, 2004)

Ryan Comer Cancer Resource Center says it all
by Teresa C. Brown

A little girl, whose father had a serious form of cancer, was confused. She thought that if she behaved and was good enough, her father would get well.

The family borrowed the children's book, "The Rainbow Feelings of Cancer," from the Ryan Comer Cancer Resource Center collection, hoping the book could do what seemed to be so difficult: explaining to a young child that the illness was not her fault.

That is just one example of the many ways the Cancer Resource Center of the ValleyCare Health Library offers help to the community, said library nurse Mary Riley.

Riley, who is an oncology certified nurse, is on staff as well as librarian Margaret Hsieh and a host of volunteers, all of whom assist patrons in their medical research.

The cancer resource center was named for a young Pleasanton man who died from cancer in 1991. In his memory, his family donated $150,000 to help establish a cancer resource collection.

The center is part of the 2,000-square-foot health library located in the ValleyCare Medical Plaza, 5725 W. Las Positas Blvd. It has support books, clinical textbooks, videos and DVDs as well as online medical journal access and streaming video, among other up-to-date resources, Riley said.

Offered free of charge, the resources are available to anyone who needs them, she said. "Access and ability is very important to us."

The resources can be borrowed by anyone with a library card and all that is needed to get a card is having a valid California driver's license.

There are some very good books in the collection that specifically deal with explaining the illness to children, Riley said. Many times young children think it is their fault when their parents are ill, she explained.

Topics include coping with cancer, pain, symptom management, grief, alternative therapy, radiation and chemotherapy, among others, Riley said.

The library keeps its holdings current with new treatment information, which changes rapidly, she said, and it is continually expanding its video collection to include DVDs.

Medical information is also available online, Riley said. Anyone with Internet capabilities can have access to the information, even from their home, she noted.

Such access is not cheap, Riley said. For one access license alone, the library may have to pay $7,000 a year.

The only fee associated with the library is printing Internet or journal pages. The library charges 10 cents per page, a fee that offsets the cost of the paper. "The money goes right back in, it goes on books," Riley said.

Not only do people with a personal interest access the information, the library is also used as a teaching resource, Riley said. High school and nursing students often tap into the center's resources for their projects, as well as health care professionals and people searching for information about healthy lifestyles.

Cancer support groups also meet at the library. One group meets 2-4 p.m. every Tuesday and another meets at 7 p.m. on the first, third and fifth Thursdays.

Both groups are open to anyone dealing with cancer, from patients and family members to caregivers.

The library depends on support from ValleyCare Health System as well as community grants and donations as well as volunteer help. About 30 volunteers staff the library, Riley said, and more are needed, especially on Thursday nights. Call 734-3315.

The library has expanded its hours, and it is open every weekday at 10 a.m., closing at 2 p.m. Monday and Friday; 5 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; and 8 p.m. Thursday.

When the mother returned "The Rainbow Feelings of Cancer," she said she had read it with her young daughter. She believed the little girl now understood that her father's illness was not her fault.

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