State's fourth cancer resource center opens in Florence.

Byline: Winston Ross The Register-Guard

FLORENCE - When Di Lacey was diagnosed with breast cancer, doctors told her there was a 50 percent chance she'd be dead in two years.

That was five years ago, and the Reedsport resident is happily in remission. But she hasn't forgotten what it was like to be a cancer patient, to sit in a chair while chemotherapy drugs coursed through her, drugs that would leave her feeling like she'd been exposed to "Kryptonite" for the following 24 hours.

So when the community relations director for Peace Harbor Hospital in Florence got a call from the American Cancer Society offering a partnership to create the state's fourth cancer resource center in Florence, Lacey didn't hesitate. She knew the all-volunteer effort would find plenty of help.

"Per capita, we've raised more money for the American Cancer Society than any other city in Oregon," Lacey said.

The resource center opened late last month, in a small office inside the hospital's orthopedic center. It's staffed by volunteers from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. who can answer questions or direct patients to resources in the community, including other volunteers who can help clean houses, give massages or cook meals. The center itself has prosthetic breasts, wigs, hats and scarves.

"My dream is that this room never be used," Lacey said.

In the two weeks it's been open, the center has only seen a half-dozen patients, Lacey said, but she's confident word will spread. Patty Lewis coordinates the volunteers. Lewis has battled thyroid, colon and breast cancer, all within a five year period; she, too, is in remission now.

"All three times, I had nobody to talk to," Lewis said. "It doesn't matter how many people are with you. In the doctor's office, you're just alone."