Gala helps cancer victims, caregivers

Elia Powers

It has been six months since Cheri Phelps finished her last

chemotherapy treatment, and the 50-year-old Irvine resident said her

spirits are high.

Two years ago, it was a different story. She was diagnosed with a

late stage of colon cancer and said she couldn’t get a unanimous

decision from doctors about appropriate treatments.

“I was in need of a group that understood my problems,” Phelps

said. “I was trying to protect my family -- I didn’t want them to be

exposed to how difficult this was on me.”

A friend told Phelps about Wellness Community-Orange County, a

nonprofit organization that offers emotional support and educational

programming for cancer patients and their caregivers.

Phelps began going regularly to free group meetings and events,

which she credits in large part for her recovery.

On Saturday, she will be surrounded by fellow cancer survivors at

the second annual Wellness Community-Orange County fundraising gala.

The $225-event will run from 6:30 p.m. to midnight at the Turnip Rose

in Costa Mesa.

The gala, organized by volunteers like Phelps, will be attended by

survivors, their families and Orange County philanthropists. Last

year, Wellness Community-Orange County raised $85,000 at the event,

according to executive director Amy Kluth.

She said the goal this year is to raise $100,000, and at least 250

people are expected to attend.

“The biggest hope is that people are going to come and learn

something.” Kluth said. “I’ve been involved with multiple nonprofits,

and I don’t think I’ve ever been so engaged as I am with this cause.”

Maryland teacher Kristen Adelman, a three-time cancer survivor and

cyclist who rode in the national Tour of Hope with Lance Armstrong,

will be the guest of honor at the gala, which includes live and

silent auctions, live music, dancing and a catered meal.

Dr. Neil Barth, an oncologist who serves on the staff of Hoag

Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, will speak about the mind, body

and spiritual connection involved in cancer recovery.

That’s a major focus of the wellness facility, according to

Huntington Beach resident and breast cancer survivor Ruth Smith. She

was diagnosed seven years ago and still undergoes regular treatments.

“The more I kept things bottled up inside, the more the cancer

became a problem for me,” Smith, 75, said. “The meditation and

relaxation exercises I learned gave me courage.”

At Wellness Community-Orange County, support groups and classes

are led by licensed psychotherapists. The three-year-old facility, in

Santa Ana, also offers classes for family members of cancer patients,

a group that program director Gay Irons said is often ignored.

For survivors, the center offers free health-related seminars and

programs such as yoga and art healing. New visitors can attend

drop-in meetings held every Wednesday at 10 a.m. and every Tuesday at

6 p.m.

Both Phelps and Smith volunteer their time at the center, which

saw more than 2,600 visitors last year, according to Kluth.

During the major Orange County bankruptcy in the mid-1990s,

donations ran dry and the organization was forced to shut its doors.

Phelps said she is doing her part to make sure that doesn’t happen

again.

“Everyone who [survives] wonders, ‘Why was I spared?’” Phelps

said. “Fundraising is something we can do to show our appreciation.”

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

elia.powers@latimes.com.