November 20, 1987 The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana ]t
I I IIII II II
Author touches others with his story of hope
ouis ]osof, former victim of Hodgkin's disease, autographs a
. copy of his book, "It's Not Valentine's Day" for Evansville resi-
dent, Barbara Cecil. ]osof was at St. Mary's Medical Center last
week to talk about his personal victory in the struggle against
CanCel'.
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Medical Arts PAUL'S
Pharmacy Pharmacy
3700 Bellemeade Avenue Paul Mayer, Owner
Phone 477-1532
Donald Gutzweiler 2170 W. Franklin St.
, City-Wide Delivery 425-7141
Duncan's Riverside Plaza Pharmacy
Pharmacy Newburgh Plaza
Prescription Service
Dmgs-Sunddet-Cotmetice
Maeaztnea - "We Deliver"
Corner Riverside and Governor
Evansville 422-9981
Shopping Center
Fast Prescription Service
Ken and Rebecca Hacker
853-7141
Oak Hill Pharmacy
Prescription Specialists
Hey. 62 and N. Weinbach Ave.
LARRY SCHULTHEIS, Prop.
425-4422
Newburgh Pharmacy
BILL REINE, Pharmacist
Complete Prescription Service
and Health Supplies
Phone 853-6166
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Stratman's Pharmacy
City-Wide Delivery
J 413 Locwt Strict
John and Judy Stmtman
'7 need for people to know that there
is life after cancer. ""
By MARY 1 . ELLERT
Message Staff Writer
At one point in his life, Louis
Josof thought it would be easier
to die than to continue his bat-
tle with cancer. Today,
however, he has a different
outlook on things.
Josof is a former victim of
Hodgkin's disease and certified
pastoral counselor from Birm-
ingham, Ala. He visited St.
Mary's Medical Center in
Evansville last week to share
his success story with cancer
patients, their families, friends
and caregivers.
"I need for people to know
that there is life after cancer.
Folks like us, the survivors -- I
don't know why we keep it all
so quiet," he told the group.
"The world needs to hear from
us, because all they've heard in
the past are the horror stories."
Currently, Josof is Director of
the Comprehensive Cancer Care
Unit at St. Vincent's Hospital in
Birmingham, Ala., and founder
of "Today Our Understanding
of Cancer Is Hope" (TOUCH), a
support program for cancer pa-
tients and their families.
His talk was peppered with a
variety of stories from his
diagnosis 12 years ago when he
was 21 to his counseling work
today• Whether they were
humorous anecdotes or painful
memories, ]osof openly shared
them with the group.
"I find that cancer patients
are willing to take risks that
He went on to explain a risk-
taking adventure of his own.
Once, when. his doctors gave
him a break from his radiation
treatments, Josof decided to go
to Disney World with some of
his buddies.
"You know those signs they
have above the rows and rows
of waiting: 'Expectant mothers
should not ride this ride?' Well,
I wasn't expecting anything, so
I decided to ride some of the
rides," he grinned. "I have
never been jerked and yanked
so hard in all my life -- I had
the best time."
Even though Josof admits
riding the rides at Disney World
was "a little too risky," he still
encourages patients to take
risks -- within reason.
For the last three years, he
has coordinated the nation's
"first and only" cancer camp
for adults. Thirty-four cancer
patients, ages 18-78, attended
the most recent session this fall.
A few of the campers brought
along long lists from their
parents and families explaining
what foods they were allowed
to eat and what activitas they
shouldn't participate in.
"All the folks whose family
members wrote me all these
long letters of do's and don'ts
were the ones who rode horses,
went out in the paddle boats
and enjoyed themselves," he
said.
"All I could think of was 'I
don't think we're covered for
all this with our insurancet" he
--l.ouis Josof
like to be insured that I'm going
to go on living. If I'm going to
take some folks to camp, I'm
not going to take them and have
them just sit for three days --
they can do that at home or in
the hospital."
JOSOF TALKED about how
the TOUCH "sharing and sup-
port group" got its name. At
one of the first meetings, a
woman explained that she felt
like an "untouchable" because
she had cancer• The group
played around with that word
and came up with the title,
TOUCH•
"We all like to be touched
emotionally, as well as
physically or spiritually...all of
those areas have touched our
lives, whether we choose to
recognize it or not," he said.
"This group needed to
recognize that they want to he
touched in different ways.
"This program is not for a
specific cancer site -- this is a
catch-all program," explained
Josof. "Anyone -- family,
friend or patient -- can come to
this kind of program. I'm hop-
ing that St. Mary's will develop
a program like TOUCH."
For information about
TOUCH, call Sister Catherine
Kelly, director of pastoral care
at St• Mary's Medical Center,
479-4150. Additional imCorma-
tion can be obtained by writing
or calling: TOUCH, The
American Cancer Society, 402
for a while."
Hey said the canned good
drive is also going well.
The Emergency Food Pantry
System assists families and in-
dividuals who are in need of
food and who have exhausted
all other resources of income or
assistance.
The food pantries disburse a
three-day supply of food, com-
posed of staple items. Persons
or families using the pantries
may receive assistance once a
month for three months.
The system was begun in
1969 by the churches in the
Evansville area and the St. Vin-
cent de Paul Society. Since
1980, the pantry system has ex-
perienced a 243 percent in-
crease in the ndmber of persons
needing assistance.
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they may have not been willing laughed. "But then I asked
to take in the past, he said. I myself another question, What Office Park Drive, State 300,
think that attributes to their kind of insurance do cancer pa- Birmingham, Alabama 35223,
survival." tients really need?' Well, I'd 1-800-292-4935.
$30,000 raised for Food Pantry System
By MARYANNHUGHES "very well and we are very mark," Hey said. He is hopeful
Message Staff Writer grateful," according to Philip the fund drive will hit the
Hey, coordinator of the $50,000 mark "so we won't
Community response to the Emergency Food Pantry have to push the panic button
fund drive for the Emergency System.
Food Pantry System is going "We are past the $30,000
