Book Matters: How books are helping Utah patients fight cancer

SALT LAKE CITY — Cancer. This one word has impacted the lives of all of us in some way and is associated with so many other words: pain, sadness, treatment, doctors, chemo, remission, hope, struggle, triumph, family, support, endurance and, sadly, death. There are two words, however, that you may not have associated with cancer: books and reading.

At Huntsman Cancer Institute and Hospital in Salt Lake City, books and reading play a special role in treatment.

Huntsman Cancer Institute, part of the University of Utah Health Care System, is a leader in cancer research, education and treatment. The Institute provides a "team approach to inpatient and outpatient care for all forms of adult cancer."

Patients requiring hospitalization are admitted to the 50-bed HCI hospital. In 2010, 59,000 outpatient visits were recorded, 3,000 surgeries were performed, and more than 11,000 infusion therapy treatments were provided.

There are many amazing strategies employed by the Institute as part of its "mission of hope" to help alleviate the suffering of cancer patients and their families. One such effort is to provide books and magazines to read during the long hours of wait and treatment time.

"Cancer treatment involves a lot of waiting and sitting," explained Carol Higginson, a senior clinical research coordinator for HCI. "The esophageal cancer patients I see have radiation treatments five days a week — each session about 20 minutes long — as well as chemotherapy sessions once a week that can last up to eight hours."

For these treatments, patients are restricted to chairs or beds or have limited mobility. Higginson also said that patients, in addition to treatments, have one to three doctor appointments a week and weekly blood work appointments, which vary in length depending on the doctor's and lab's schedules.

"We wanted a way to make the wait-room time better, to minimize the effect of wait time during treatments and also to improve the emotional impact of what our patients and their families are going through," said Blanca Raphael, manager of Patient and Family Resources.

"Patient surveys always came back complaining about wait time and asking for distractions," she continued, "so we started collecting magazines and books through a competition between departments."

Employees of HCI constantly collect reading material, dropping them in designated milk crates placed in office areas. The books are then collected and sorted by volunteers and distributed to the eight different clinics. Four of these clinics have book carts with signs that read, "Free books. Please take one."

Raphael hopes to have more book carts in the future. "Reading is a calming distraction for our patients, so we do all we can to help facilitate it," she added.

Anyone who loves to read knows the joy of escaping into another world for a time, letting go of worries and stress by allowing the words to wash over the mind. HCI is tapping into this.

"Reading was very important to me as a cancer patient. It was a way to pass the time and a way to escape from the unpleasant parts of my chemo reality," Jane Ellsworth said.

Ellsworth was diagnosed with ALL leukemia in August of 2003 when she was only 19 years old.

"Books also played a big role in how I thought about cancer when I was first diagnosed," Ellsworth continued. "I was a big fan of Lance Armstrong's book 'It's Not About the Bike' and also the young adult series 'Dawn Rochelle,' by Lurlene McDaniel, about a girl diagnosed with leukemia. When I was diagnosed I immediately thought of the main characters in those books and wondered if I would have the same struggles."

The books donated to HCI are given to patients; they don't have to worry about returning them. However, most will return the books, plus more.

"Patients always bring back more books. It's a pay-it-forward kind of thing. The goodness is contagious," Raphael reported happily.

These books have also sparked conversations and helped form friendships.

"We have employees who take specific requests from patients; and if we don't have the book, they will go out and buy it. They want to help, and a book is an easy way to do it," Raphael said.

Family bonds can also be strengthened.

"When I got too sick and weak to hold up a book for long periods of time, my mom would read aloud to me," Ellsworth recalled. "Reading was such a comfort and brought me peace at a really hard time of my life."

When I think of Ellsworth's experience and all of the cancer patients, past and current, who fight for their lives, their families beside them, it brings tears to my eyes. HCI's valiant actions and this special book drive are an inspiring comfort. This is a true testament to the power and value of books and reading and a shining example of people coming together to help others.

Thanks to successful treatment, Ellsworth has been cancer-free for six years and has two beautiful children. She continues to love reading.

The Huntsman Cancer Hospital would love your book and magazine donations. Share your love of reading and help in the ongoing effort to treat and cure cancer. The Book Matters book club, as part of our last meeting, gathered several boxes of books and magazines from our homes and donated them all. And I will certainly be donating more in the future.

The hospital needs books in good condition (quick reads preferred), magazines current within the last three months (more magazines appropriate for men are greatly needed), and books on tape (big need). Please drop donations at the information desk, just inside the hospital's main entrance. Donation receipts for tax purposes are happily given.

Next week: Comic books – the coolest thing you're not reading

Teri Harman writes and reads from home amid the chaos of three young children. For book reviews, book suggestions and more book fun, visit book-matters.com. Find Teri on Facebook (Book Matters-Teri Harmon) or Twitter (@BookMattersTeri).

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