This program is hosted virtually via Zoom. No prior registration required.
with Susan Salek
Come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit.
We will settle in for a few minutes, then meditation (guided and silence) for 20 minutes and end with around the virtual circle with a few words of gratitude.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 884 6869 2145
Passcode: 917135
Note: Because this is an online sit, participants are encouraged to find space of relative quiet, limiting the amount of interaction with others in the environment as much as possible. Participants may join by internet or via phone.
This program is hosted virtually via Zoom. No prior registration required.
with Susan Salek
Come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit.
We will settle in for a few minutes, then meditation (guided and silence) for 20 minutes and end with around the virtual circle with a few words of gratitude.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 884 6869 2145
Passcode: 917135
Note: Because this is an online sit, participants are encouraged to find space of relative quiet, limiting the amount of interaction with others in the environment as much as possible. Participants may join by internet or via phone.
This program is hosted virtually via Zoom. No prior registration required.
with Susan Salek
Come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit.
We will settle in for a few minutes, then meditation (guided and silence) for 20 minutes and end with around the virtual circle with a few words of gratitude.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 884 6869 2145
Passcode: 917135
Note: Because this is an online sit, participants are encouraged to find space of relative quiet, limiting the amount of interaction with others in the environment as much as possible. Participants may join by internet or via phone.
This program is hosted virtually via Zoom. No prior registration required.
with Susan Salek
Come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit.
We will settle in for a few minutes, then meditation (guided and silence) for 20 minutes and end with around the virtual circle with a few words of gratitude.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 884 6869 2145
Passcode: 917135
Note: Because this is an online sit, participants are encouraged to find space of relative quiet, limiting the amount of interaction with others in the environment as much as possible. Participants may join by internet or via phone.
This program is hosted virtually via Zoom. No prior registration required.
with Susan Salek
Come together as an LGBTQIA+ community for a weekly morning meditation sit.
We will settle in for a few minutes, then meditation (guided and silence) for 20 minutes and end with around the virtual circle with a few words of gratitude.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 884 6869 2145
Passcode: 917135
Note: Because this is an online sit, participants are encouraged to find space of relative quiet, limiting the amount of interaction with others in the environment as much as possible. Participants may join by internet or via phone.
This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing programs@smithcenter.org.
You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.
with Lauren Powell, RDN, LDN, GW Cancer Center
Nutrition Club is a chance for patients, survivors, caregivers and providers to get together to discuss nutrition topics and learn more about how nutrition can play a role in cancer prevention, treatment, and survivorship. It is hosted and offered in partnership with GW Cancer Center.
Nutrition Club will be hosted Monthly on the 1st Monday from 12-1pm ET.
About Lauren Powell, RDN, LDN
Lauren Powell (RDN, LDN) is a registered dietitian working in the DC area. She has served in many settings including food services, long-term care, rehab facilities, post-surgical, and intensive care units. While working at George Washington University Hospital she found her passion for Oncology Nutrition. She now works as the Dietitian for the GW Cancer Center helping to support the nutrition needs of those undergoing treatment and survivors.
About 2Unstoppable
2Unstoppable is a non-profit whose mission is to encourage and support exercise among women who have had a cancer diagnosis. Free online fitness buddy matching, oncology fitness resources, and community events at www.2unstoppable.org. Please visit https://2unstoppable.org/events/ for a list of upcoming events.
This playdate has been cancelled. For more information about the Healing Circle for Parents with Cancer or future playdates, please email programs@smithcenter.org.
Offered in partnership with the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, Bright Spot Network, Life with Cancer, Hope Connections, Ourisman Breast Center, Ulman Foundation, and Wellness House of Annapolis.
For more information about our Healing Circle for Parents with Cancer, please read below.
Smith Center’s Healing Circle for Moms with Cancer is being changed to the Healing Circle for Parents with Cancer and will now be hosted in partnership with Brightspot Network, Life with Cancer, Hope Connections, Ourisman Breast Center, Ulman Foundation, and Wellness House of Annapolis.
What will happen next?
In an effort to expand the Healing Circle to more parents with cancer, Smith Center is partnering with Bright Spot Network and other cancer organizations who can connect parents to this program. By broadening participation to all parents (not just moms) and working with several different national organizations supporting parents facing cancer, you’ll be able to participate in Healing Circle for Parents with Cancer.
What is the Healing Circle for Parents with Cancer?
This ongoing healing circle will focus on the unique needs of parents, with children of any age, who are living with cancer. No matter where you find yourself on your journey you will have a chance to be with others who share in your experience. This shared experience will often lead to profound learning and healing.
Some of our children are bound to need us during this program. Please don’t worry about disruptions to care for your child(ren).
What are Healing Circles?
Healing Circles bring together small numbers of people impacted by a condition or circumstance to share experiences and harvest collective wisdom. Healing Circles is a peer-led process by which people support each other through deep listening and shared learning. When working at its best, this collaborative conversation model leads to authentic and deep connectivity and can create wisdom and healing for participants.
This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing programs@smithcenter.org.
with M’Bahlia Colson and Rachel Ress, LICSW
This group is for previvors who have an elevated predisposition for a cancer diagnosis or those who have tested positive to cancer genetic markers, such as the BRCA gene.
Having a predisposition to cancer can be an overwhelming experience and one that is often isolating. As a previvor, one often goes through emotional, physical, and mental hardships.
This group offers a safe space for community where you can talk openly with others who also identify as previvors.
Beginning in September, the Previvor Support Group will meet Monthly on the 4th Tuesday of the month from 6:30 – 7:30pm ET.
About M’Bahlia Colson
M’bahlia is a mother, educator and a previvor. Her mom died from breast cancer and dad from prostate cancer. After two breast lumptectomies she was diagnosed with a high expentancy of developing breast cancer. She underwent a prophylatic bilateral mastectomy during the height of the Covid 19 pandemic in NYC. To her disbelief, the hospital did not offer any support for women to help navigate this “new” life. Upon returning home to Washington, DC for reconstruction again no community for support, safe space and sharing.
As an educator and administrator for more than 15 years, she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Master’s Degree in Education. M’bahlia applies her research and education background to provide resources to her new community to help them make informed decisions and accesss to support groups.
About Rachel Ress, LICSW
Rachel is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker serving as Cancer Support Community Washington DC’s (CSC DC) Community Navigator. Prior to working at CSC DC, Rachel was an oncology social worker with the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital for three years. She earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice where she interned at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Rachel uses an eclectic approach in providing support and compassion to cancer patients and their families, and she is passionate about the intersection of chronic illness and mental health.
This program is being offered virtually through Zoom. In order to participate and receive the Zoom link, register by clicking the RSVP button above or by emailing programs@smithcenter.org.
You will receive the Zoom information no later than the morning of your program.
with Kenneth Johnson
We are a group of gay men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer or who are recovering from treatment that offer support to each other. In a peer-led community, we share our experiences and understanding to help one another best deal with our own personal situations.
The Healing Circle for Gay Men with Prostate Cancer meets Monthly on the 4th Thursday from 7:00pm – 8:30pm ET.
About Kenneth Johnson
Kenneth Johnson, of Owings Mills, MD, is a founding member and facilitator of the Healing Circle Supporting Gay Men with Prostate Cancer hosted at the Smith Center since October 2018. Kenneth’s prostate cancer diagnosis in 2016 at the age of 50 began, not with any symptoms of a problem, but due to a vigilant doctor who was aware of black men’s higher cancer risk and encouraged earlier screening. Blood tests showed a rising PSA that triggered the need for a biopsy. Kenneth underwent surgery and radiation later in 2016. Before volunteering with the support group, Kenneth volunteered with many LGBTQ+ organizations and community non-profits in Atlanta, GA.
Professionally, Kenneth retired in 2021 after 34 years of federal service as an information technology analyst. Now, he is often on the highways with his octogenarian parents visiting family and friends around the country. You can catch up with Kenneth at the local gym or track working up a good sweat to offset his time in the kitchen cooking for and eating with his parents. At other times, you will find him enjoying his monthly book club selection, stressing over a Ravens game (or Orioles or Alabama football), chuckling at a corny Hallmark movie, or tackling (and possibly regretting) an HGTV-inspired home project.
Despite the cloud of prostate cancer, Kenneth sees the silver lining as the community of wonderful souls that have befriended him through the Smith Center and the healing circle for gay men with prostate cancer.
