Sue Kemp

She went to Wellness Place in Palatine hoping to find support in dealing with ovarian cancer, a particularly deadly form of the dreaded disease that threatened to take her life, and ended up providing encouragement and support to others who are also battling the disease. Sue Kemp noticed a Wellness Place brochure at Sherman Hospital in Elgin while she was taking treatments, and decided to check it out because she had heard that people who participated in support groups survive longer than those who don't. Also, she was single so didn't have a husband or significant other to provide support; Wellness Place was close to her home, and at that point she was willing to try almost anything that would help her come to terms with her disease. Wellness Place, located in Palatine, IL, is a community-based, nonprofit, cancer support center dedicated to educating, encouraging, and empowering all people living with cancer. The statistics relating to the survival rate for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer is not encouraging, and less than 20 percent survive for five years.

Kemp was looking for help in dealing with the uncertainty concerned with her disease, and to answers to questions such as, "will I survive," and "will I have a good quality of life?" The women in her support group were in various stages of different types of cancer, and they all were experiencing the fear and uncertainty that she was. They were all hoping to be able to come to terms with their disease, and to live a meaningful life – not just sit around, waiting to die.

Kemp has just passed her sixth cancer-free anniversary, and she volunteers at the center because, “I felt that Wellness Place helped me gain some sense of understanding that life could go on and be good, and I wanted to help out in any way possible. People with cancer don't have to be alone; there are people at the center who have gone through what you are going through. Participating in something like this helps you to realize that you are not powerless; that you can survive, and even go on to help others. I want to help, because I was helped, and I believe in the mission of Wellness Place,” she said. “Wellness Place was what turned my thinking around about cancer, and I am grateful for their support, and also for the support of my family and co-workers. Wellness Place is a great resource for anyone affected by cancer, including family members, caregivers and other people who deal with survivors.”

When she began volunteering, Kemp helped out by performing office work. It wasn't long however, before she was speaking at outreach events where she was meeting and greeting people, and handing out brochures and calendars. During the summer months she volunteers almost every weekend at Relay for Life functions, outdoor festivals, wellness fairs and other community affairs. She also helps out at American Cancer Society events, and with their Cancer Action Network which is a grassroots, lobbying effort to influence policy makers about issues relating to cancer.

“Sue has been volunteering with us for three years, and is one of our best missionaries,” said Stefanie Brunner, Director of Public Relations at Wellness Place. “She realized she could die, but she learned how to turn the experience around and to live with it. She is so grateful that she will do just anything to help anyone, and to spread the word about Wellness Place.”

Kemp's immediate family has been hit especially hard with cancer, and she urges people with a history of cancer in their family to undergo genetic testing. “There are things that can be done to prevent it, or to catch the disease early enough so that treatment can be started,” she said.

Volunteering is a family affair for the Kemp family. Her Mother, Judy, also volunteers at Wellness Place, as did her sister, Sandy, until she moved out of the area. Kemp grew up in Chicago, but has resided in the Northwest suburbs for the last 20 years, and currently lives in Schaumburg. She is employed as a psychiatric nurse at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, and also volunteers with the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

Information on how you can become involved in helping others is available by calling: The Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago, (all ages) at 847-228-1320, or The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (seniors age 55 or better) at 847-228-1006. Check their website www.volunteerinfo.net.

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