Members of the Troy Church Cancer Care Ministry deliver Cancer Comfort Bags to Troy Regional’s Infusion Center. Pete Jordan (second from right, back row) helped form this ministry after his own cancer journey.
Through Cancer Comfort Bags, a local ministry offers encouragement, compassion, and hope to patients facing cancer.
Troy, Ala. – To kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Troy Regional partnered with Troy Church’s Cancer Care Ministry to provide cancer patients with special “Cancer Comfort Bags” that offer encouragement and practical items to support them through their treatment journey.
Members of the Cancer Care Ministry filled canvas tote bags with snacks, blankets, socks, and other thoughtful items to help patients during their time in the Troy Regional Infusion Center. The bags arrived at Troy Regional on October 1.
For Pete Jordan, a member of the Troy Church Cancer Care Ministry, delivering the bags was a particularly special and personal moment.
“I had stage 4, large B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma,” said Jordan.
After a local doctor referred Jordan to Montgomery, he was eventually sent to Birmingham, where he began treatment.
“The day I walked into Birmingham, they put me on the R-CHOP treatment,” Jordan recalled.
R-CHOP is a common treatment regimen for certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For Jordan, the treatment was a long and difficult journey.
“It was 24 hours a day, chemo treatment for a solid week. The doctors would give my body time to heal, then another round of treatment would begin. They did this nine times,” Jordan explained.
“I lost weight, my ability to walk, and at times was unable to talk. I depended on my wife, Patsy, to be my caregiver,” Jordan said.
It was during one of the most difficult periods of his treatment that Jordan reached a low point. Yet, out of that difficult experience came an idea that would eventually become an important part of the Cancer Comfort Bags.
<p”>“We have supplied Bibles, spiritual books and prayer cards for the patients. We want them to know that God loves them, we love them, and we’re there to support them.”
The Cancer Care Ministry recognizes that a cancer diagnosis affects more than just the patient. The ministry also provides resources and encouragement for caregivers, including books to help them understand what they may experience throughout the cancer journey.
For the Cancer Care Ministry team, providing the bags to the local community through Troy Regional’s Infusion Center is an opportunity to offer patients a tangible reminder that they are not alone.
For Patricia Hulgan, director of the Troy Regional Infusion Center, the bags will be a meaningful blessing to patients receiving treatment.
“These are more than just bags filled with thoughtful items. They serve as a reminder to our cancer patients that they are seen, supported, and cared for,” Hulgan said.
“For our patients, receiving a bag can bring a little comfort and encouragement during one of the hardest seasons of their lives. Each item is a reminder that someone is thinking about them and walking alongside them in their journey.”
Today, Jordan is cancer-free. He credits God, the support of family and friends, along with a simple but powerful message that helped guide him throughout his own cancer journey.
That message is now featured on the Cancer Comfort Bags:
Pray. Fight. Conquer.
HEALTHCARE CLOSE TO HOME!