Rotary Meeting; Dr. Glenn Hundleby

Dr. Glenn Hundleby is the Board Chair and co-founder of the recently opened Wellspring Edmonton. As Project Coordinator, he donated his full time attention to the project as well as acting as Chair of the Executive Committee and serving as a member of the Building Oversight Committee. His experience, as a Director with the Capital Health Foundation and as former president of the Northern Alberta Ronald McDonald House here in Edmonton, benefited Wellspring enormously during its formative years.

Wellspring Edmonton

11306 - 65^th Ave. Edmonton

Wellspring Edmonton recently opened a world class, community-based support centre in South Edmonton offering non-medical programs and services for people living with cancer, including their families and those who care for them.  As a registered charity, Wellspring Edmonton is governed by a volunteer Board of committed Edmontonians and depends solely on the generosity of local donors to provide services at no cost to participants. It receives no on-going grants or government funding to carry out this work. This is the 8th Wellspring in Canada and joins Calgary as the second in Alberta.

Needs Addressed

The need for non-medical support for cancer patients and their families is already very real… and growing. There are currently 120,000 Albertans living with cancer and 18,000 more will be diagnosed this year. We are fortunate in Alberta to have world-class treatment facilities along with specialized oncology teams and excellent ancillary health care providers. However, the health care system doesn’t have the capacity to fully meet the significant non-medical needs of people with cancer. In screening at the Cross Cancer Institute, 85% of patients reported high levels of stress, anxiety or fear upon receiving news of a cancer diagnosis. Since opening in mid-January, Wellspring Edmonton has already welcomed more than 300 new members, along with over 150 volunteers. At this level our original projection of 1200 members in the first year could easily be doubled.

Unique Role of Wellspring in the Spectrum of Cancer Organizations

Wellsprings are distinct in the spectrum of cancer support organizations in that all programs are led by professionals who volunteer their time and expertise; and by trained volunteers who have had direct personal experience with cancer. There are programs for children and adults of all backgrounds and circumstances of life, all designed to educate, empower, and help people develop new skills to take control over their own situation. Peer support involves the opportunity to talk with a trained volunteer who has lived the experience of cancer and can provide support, give comfort and demonstrate the assurance that you are not alone. Programs range from coping skills for managing stress, to arts for wellness programs for expressing feelings, to education for living with the day-to-day challenges of cancer.