United Cancer Advocacy Action Network

YA group solo flyer

Thousand Oaks, CA - UCAAN is a 501c3 organization in Thousand Oaks that is focused on providing financial aid to cancer survivors and their families in the Tri-County area (Santa Barbara, Ventura County & Los Angeles County). But in order to offer financial aid which is a need that should be filled, UCAAN is looking for sponsors and donors. In the meantime, UCAAN’s focus is providing resources to cancer survivors and their families, giving handmade gifts of hope, strength, inspiration and support, providing peer lead support groups, and healthy cooking classes.

With the New Year, a lot of new and exciting things are coming about. The community is buzzing with all sorts of news, last week, it was the UCAAN grand opening event and this week UCAAN announces its “Young at Heart” Young Adult Cancer Survivor Peer led Support Group! This isn’t the first time for a YA support group to be offered to cancer survivors in Ventura County, UCAAN was also a part of the YA Cancer Survivor Support group started at the Wellness Community last year. But with UCAAN’s Office Grand Opening, they have decided to start their own group!

UCAAN is hosting a Focus Group on Tuesday January 24^th, 2012 at 7pm and is inviting Young Adult Cancer Survivors to attend (ages 18+). UCAAN hopes that after the focus group, they will be able to schedule the dates for the peer support group. Tea, coffee, drinks and snacks will be provided. Attendees are asked to RSVP by calling Rachel Shur 805-479-1032. For more information, questions or comments about UCAAN, please visit their website at www.ucaan.org. or email: UCAANorg@yahoo.com. Sponsorship opportunities are available!

For Immediate Release

12-21-11

UCAAN – The Little Charity That Could Announces Grand Opening of their New Office!

Thousand Oaks, Calif., December 21^st, 2011 — UCAAN is small and even though they have been an official non-profit for only a year, they have grown and progressed quickly, just like a little engine that could. UCAAN is proud to announce the long anticipated Grand Opening of their new office in Thousand Oaks. UCAAN is inviting the community to come to their grand opening celebration on Wednesday January 11^th, 2012 @ 6pm. The event will be MC’d by B95.1 FM’s DJ Scott Alexander, a representative from Senator Tony Strickland’s office will be presenting UCAAN with a plaque as well! UCAAN will have an official ribbon cutting, tours of their new office space, raffles, appetizers supplied by Fiamme Restaurant, light music and a sparkling cider toast! Also on this day, UCAAN will be announcing their Cruise raffle, valued at $1798; it’s a cruise for two to their choice of Mexico, the Bahamas or the Caribbean. There will only be 1000 raffle tickets sold, and will be available for purchase at the event, at Fiamme Restaurant, The UCAAN Office & through various volunteers. The cost per raffle ticket is $20. The winner will be pulled just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, so try your luck and support a great cause!  

The festivities for UCAAN’s Grand Opening will commence at 1459 East Thousand Oaks Blvd, Ste E- Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 at 6:00pm sharp. Cancer Survivors, patients and their families are welcome. Special Handmade gifts will be given to each cancer patient/survivor or attendee who has lost someone to cancer* (*Supplies are limited) at the event, so please RSVP to UCAANorg@yahoo.com or contact Rachel 805-479-1032.

When people think of cancer, they think mainly of the trials and tribulations that a patient must go through, but many do not realize that even after the cancer is gone there are even more problems for a cancer patient to deal with.

When Rachel Shur was diagnosed with final stage leukemia and given a 10% chance of survival, she had no idea what she would have to face in the future. Shur had a positive attitude through her whole experience and that was what helped her through her initial treatments – the chemotherapy, a drug induced coma, brain surgery, and the total body radiation. She laughed whenever she could, watched funny movies, enjoyed time with friends and when she was told after her stem cell transplant that she was in remission in 2008, she was relieved, but had no idea what she had to face after treatment. The long term side effects, that creeped up on Rachel Shur devastated her and she was unsure of where to go for help. The side effects included early menopause, infertility, degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, severe memory problems and dental deterioration. It was then that she realized that there were little to no resources for financial aid for patients and she came up with the decision to start UCAAN – United Cancer Advocacy Action Network – Your Cancer Resource Organization.

For more information about UCAAN, or the event please contact Rachel Shur at 805-479-1032 or Rachel@ucaan.org  www.ucaan.org  

Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:

Since 1982 Rachel Shur was terrified of cancer, because she lost her father to it. In 2006 Shur faced the biggest intervention when she was diagnosed with final stage Leukemia at 26 and given a 10% chance of survival. Shur learned quickly that the only way for her to beat it was to fight it with a positive attitude – that was her battle plan. She faced the cancer head on, was put into a drug induced coma due to complications, had to relearn to walk, read, write & eat, suffered a hemorrhage in her eye, underwent 9 rounds of heavy chemotherapy, a relapse, brain surgery, 11 sessions of total body radiation, brain damage and a stem cell transplant. Shur has been clear of cancer for 3 years now, but now faces the everyday challenges that have resulted because of her treatments, the side effects that she will have forever and have changed her quality of life.”I am thankful to have my life, and even though cancer has taken so much from me, it has also given me things I never expected. If I could go back and never have cancer, I would never do it, because right now – I am doing what I was meant to do!”

After Shur’s own battle with cancer she realized a lot about life and what was out there for survivors like her. When Shur was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she was given very little information about what resources were available. The lack of resources and her new found passion to help others turned into something bigger than herself – an organization founded in 2009 with the sole purpose of aiding cancer patients, cancer survivors & their families by providing resources to them upon diagnosis, handmade gifts of hope, inspiration & strength and financial assistance. The 501c3 non-profit organization, UCAAN – United Cancer Advocacy Action Network turned into Rachel’s full time passion, all because she had faced her fear head on by beating cancer twice, and fought the fight in the memory of her father. Shur asks “While all of the other cancer organizations are focused on research who is helping the patients? Research is important and is helping survivors like me live longer, but we are living with more long term problems & side effects because of these treatments with little help. That’s why we are here!”

UCAAN recently got an office in Thousand Oaks, CA and is looking forward to helping more and more cancer survivors. In hopes of doing this, UCAAN announces their 3^rd Annual Gift Wrap for a Cause Fun-raiser, which starts on black Friday November 25^th, 2011. UCAAN will have a store front at the Janss Marketplace from black Friday until Saturday December 24^th, 2011. Volunteers of the organization wrap gifts for a donation and provide donation receipts upon request. They will have a L’il Elves Workshop where kids & adults can help spread the holiday cheer by decorating holiday greeting cards, which are sent to cancer hospitals across the country. This year, UCAAN has two additional spins on this event; they have partnered up with Fiamme Restaurant & Bar and will be collecting toys for children with cancer in the Ventura County area. There will be a donation box at Fiamme and also at UCAAN’s gift wrap location at the Janss Marketplace, space #173-D (Between Radio Shack & Karma Indian Cuisine). Another addition to this year’s gift wrap event includes a chance to win a $100 Melting Pot gift certificate every Saturday for the duration of the event, and every $25 donation gets an entry into the weekly drawing! UCAAN is excited to be working with the owners of Fiamme Restaurant & Bar and The Melting Pot this year and are hoping to raise enough money to continue helping cancer survivors in the Ventura County Area and beyond! UCAAN’s Gift Wrap 4 a Cause will begin on Friday November 25^th and will be open from 7am till 10pm, then Saturday November 26^th till Friday December 23^rd from 9am till 8pm and Saturday December 24^th from 10am till 5pm*. They will have wrap for Hanukkah, Christmas & New Years. Toy donations must be new and unwrapped. To find out more about UCAAN, please visit www.ucaan.org or contact Rachel Shur for more information about donating, volunteering or becoming a sponsor, 805-479-1032.

 *Please check our website for any updated information on the event.

UCAAN now has an office building where survivors, patients and their families will be able to come and learn more about the organization and the help that we offer!

The new office is located in Thousand Oaks, CA and will have a grand opening when we are set up!

More information to be announced!

Here’s a Video about UCAAN that will be on the local Cable Access channel in a few weeks, that we wanted to share with you. Annie Gabriel interviews Rachel Shur for the OurVentura.com show

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