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| Power Style Wellness Connections |
Gilda’s Club
By Sara Thompson
When Susan Moreman graced the cover of this magazine in
2003, it was just the beginning of a new journey. Not the
journey of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery,
but the journey to bring an outstanding support network to
Louisville for cancer patients, their family and friends.
Moreman and fellow survivors Lindy B. Street and Sharon Receveur, brought Louisville
Gilda’s Club and are in the exciting process of seeing their vision become reality.
Gilda’s Club, named for beloved Saturday Night Live comedienne Gilda Radner who
died of ovarian cancer 1989, offers cancer support and a community unlike any other.
The first Gilda’s Club opened in New York City in 1995, through the efforts of Joanna
Bull, Radner’s psychotherapist during her illness. With the help of Radner’s husband,
actor Gene Wilder, and Joel Siegel, the Club now has 22 branches nationwide.
Moreman says that this project is part of paying it forward. “I had such a wonderful
support group when I was going through cancer,” she says. And while local hospitals
do offer an array of classes, groups, and other resources, there was something
lacking. “We didn’t have anything like Gilda’s Club here.”
When a copy of the Today’s Woman with Moreman on the cover made its way to her
brother who is on the board of Nashville’s Gilda’s Club, the idea of bringing a Gilda’s
Club to Louisville made its way here. What began as an idle conversation among
friends about the Club bloomed into a full-fledged team effort to establish a Club in
Louisville.
The trio began talking with locals to learn more about what is available here and
gathering information on what other Gilda’s Clubs are like. Research had to be done
on many fronts — where to put the club, what it should look like, how it should
communicate with the city. They had so many questions — Would Gilda’s Club be well-
received? Could it do some good? Is there a place for the Club here among the giants
in cancer care? The answers turned out to be a resounding yes.
Fund raising began in 2006 and a building was purchased and renovated by 2007.
The Club opened in August of 2007 and the grand opening will be October 27. The
Club had about 60 members at the end of August and hopes to have about 1,000 by
the end of 2007.
Gilda’s Club Louisville is located on Baxter Avenue, close to Phoenix Hill Tavern. The
building is spacious yet warm and cozy and feels a lot like walking into a friend’s living
room. There are rooms for kids, including Noogieland where kids with cancer or those
with a relative who has cancer can play. Teens and adults alike will find a place to hang
out, talk, or participate in one of the activities at the Club.
“The idea here is that it is a place for our members,” Moreman says. “And what
happens here comes out of what they want. But we consider ourselves partners with
area hospitals, not competitors.” So members are encouraged to be part of groups or
activities, such as knitting or creative writing, and make suggestions about what they
need. There are psychologists and social workers on hand who can conduct group
sessions, answer questions, or provide support. On a given day, Gilda’s Club could be
hosting a survivor’s luncheon, preparing for a cooking class, and gearing up for a
family movie night. Impromptu member-generated meetings can spring up in the
downstairs living room or the breezy second floor porch.
“It is important to us that everyone feel comfortable here because cancer can be a very
isolating experience,” Moreman says. “When you have cancer, you spend so much
time in the hospital in a clinical setting, and we have to get away from that sometimes.”
So the team aimed to have the Club professionally designed and decorated in a
modern way but with a very familiar feel. Local businesses have donated goods and
services that have allowed Gilda’s Club to offer more to its members. Local artists have
donated the beautiful paintings and sculptures that adorn the walls. A fully-stocked
kitchen with new appliances, a teen room with a billiards table and flat screen TV, and
a group meeting room with beautiful new furniture are just a few of ways Gilda’s Club
comforts and cares for members.
“Gilda’s Clubs provide an element of social and emotional support that is so important,”
Moreman says, quoting a study done by USA Today that says emotional support is
more important to cancer patients than anything else. “We just didn’t have anything like
this in Louisville.” There is no cost to be a member of Gilda’s Club and all activities are
free. Volunteers are encouraged and all family members can participate in some way
here.
You can reach Gilda’s Club by calling (502) 583-0075 or www.gildasclublouisville.org.
Caption: Lindy Street, Sharon Receveur, and Susan Moreman met to support each
other during their fight with breast cancer.
By Sara Thompson
When Susan Moreman graced the cover of this magazine in
2003, it was just the beginning of a new journey. Not the
journey of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery,
but the journey to bring an outstanding support network to
Louisville for cancer patients, their family and friends.
Moreman and fellow survivors Lindy B. Street and Sharon Receveur, brought Louisville
Gilda’s Club and are in the exciting process of seeing their vision become reality.
Gilda’s Club, named for beloved Saturday Night Live comedienne Gilda Radner who
died of ovarian cancer 1989, offers cancer support and a community unlike any other.
The first Gilda’s Club opened in New York City in 1995, through the efforts of Joanna
Bull, Radner’s psychotherapist during her illness. With the help of Radner’s husband,
actor Gene Wilder, and Joel Siegel, the Club now has 22 branches nationwide.
Moreman says that this project is part of paying it forward. “I had such a wonderful
support group when I was going through cancer,” she says. And while local hospitals
do offer an array of classes, groups, and other resources, there was something
lacking. “We didn’t have anything like Gilda’s Club here.”
When a copy of the Today’s Woman with Moreman on the cover made its way to her
brother who is on the board of Nashville’s Gilda’s Club, the idea of bringing a Gilda’s
Club to Louisville made its way here. What began as an idle conversation among
friends about the Club bloomed into a full-fledged team effort to establish a Club in
Louisville.
The trio began talking with locals to learn more about what is available here and
gathering information on what other Gilda’s Clubs are like. Research had to be done
on many fronts — where to put the club, what it should look like, how it should
communicate with the city. They had so many questions — Would Gilda’s Club be well-
received? Could it do some good? Is there a place for the Club here among the giants
in cancer care? The answers turned out to be a resounding yes.
Fund raising began in 2006 and a building was purchased and renovated by 2007.
The Club opened in August of 2007 and the grand opening will be October 27. The
Club had about 60 members at the end of August and hopes to have about 1,000 by
the end of 2007.
Gilda’s Club Louisville is located on Baxter Avenue, close to Phoenix Hill Tavern. The
building is spacious yet warm and cozy and feels a lot like walking into a friend’s living
room. There are rooms for kids, including Noogieland where kids with cancer or those
with a relative who has cancer can play. Teens and adults alike will find a place to hang
out, talk, or participate in one of the activities at the Club.
“The idea here is that it is a place for our members,” Moreman says. “And what
happens here comes out of what they want. But we consider ourselves partners with
area hospitals, not competitors.” So members are encouraged to be part of groups or
activities, such as knitting or creative writing, and make suggestions about what they
need. There are psychologists and social workers on hand who can conduct group
sessions, answer questions, or provide support. On a given day, Gilda’s Club could be
hosting a survivor’s luncheon, preparing for a cooking class, and gearing up for a
family movie night. Impromptu member-generated meetings can spring up in the
downstairs living room or the breezy second floor porch.
“It is important to us that everyone feel comfortable here because cancer can be a very
isolating experience,” Moreman says. “When you have cancer, you spend so much
time in the hospital in a clinical setting, and we have to get away from that sometimes.”
So the team aimed to have the Club professionally designed and decorated in a
modern way but with a very familiar feel. Local businesses have donated goods and
services that have allowed Gilda’s Club to offer more to its members. Local artists have
donated the beautiful paintings and sculptures that adorn the walls. A fully-stocked
kitchen with new appliances, a teen room with a billiards table and flat screen TV, and
a group meeting room with beautiful new furniture are just a few of ways Gilda’s Club
comforts and cares for members.
“Gilda’s Clubs provide an element of social and emotional support that is so important,”
Moreman says, quoting a study done by USA Today that says emotional support is
more important to cancer patients than anything else. “We just didn’t have anything like
this in Louisville.” There is no cost to be a member of Gilda’s Club and all activities are
free. Volunteers are encouraged and all family members can participate in some way
here.
You can reach Gilda’s Club by calling (502) 583-0075 or www.gildasclublouisville.org.
Caption: Lindy Street, Sharon Receveur, and Susan Moreman met to support each
other during their fight with breast cancer.