Providing integrative therapies that complement traditional care — that is what the Marion L. Shepard Cancer Center envisions for cancer patients, survivors and caregivers.

According to Kristi Fearrington, Oncology social worker, the free programs available at the center offer a variety of special programs and activities to aide in dealing with the emotional and physical challenges associated with cancer. Some programs are ongoing, recurring weekly or monthly, but the subject matter of the activities and programs change from month to month and are formulated by administration, including Fearrington and Judy Humphries, patient navigator.

As a patient navigator, Humphries helps patients schedule appointments and coordinate care between Vidant Beaufort Hospital and all of the other Vidant entities in the region.

“Judy is kind of the glue that keeps the patients focused and headed in the right direction,” Fearrington said. “Together, we work with the Shepard Cancer Foundation, who provides the funding for our programs. We are the lucky ones that get to plan and facilitate a lot of our things.”

The programs include Shepard’s Lunch and Learn, Restorative Yoga and Meditation, Therapeutic Massage and Look Good…Feel Better, to name a few, according to Fearrington.

The Lunch and Learn, which targets survivors and caregivers, offers a free lunch while listening to an educational speaker on cancer-specific topics.

Fearrington said she and Humphries come up with the topics based on the needs of their current patients, survivors and caregivers.

“Judy and I are very fortunate to have a lot of contact with our patients as they come through and our caregivers,” Fearrington said. “We just listen — if we hear a trend, if we hear several of them talking about the same things, that’s how we will plan our next event or activity. We’ve taken surveys before and we are always mostly interested in hearing what they want us to provide for them.”

Another program, Knowledge is Power, is an educational session open to anyone in the community about current topics of interest. Dinner is also provided during this session.

“Those are not always related to cancer, but to a health aspect in some way,” Fearrington said. “We try to do some good community outreach to the public.”

Some programs such as Restorative Yoga and Meditation and Therapeutic Massage are ongoing, according to Fearrington. Yoga is offered every Monday evening at 6 p.m. at Vidant Wellness Center. Free, 20-minute hand, foot or chair massages are offered each week for patients, survivors and caregivers. Appointments for massages can be made seven days a week at two different locations in Washington.

Fearrington said that the Look Good…Feel Better program, an American Cancer Society program, is offered monthly and hosted by the Cancer Center. This hands-on, group session is for adult female cancer survivors, currently in treatment, who are coping with the side effects of chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment.

“It addresses the side effects that a lot of cancer patients face, which is changes in their skin. They may lose their eyelashes, eyebrows or hair — that’s a real self-esteem issue for them — so we partnered with the American Cancer Society to offer this program to try to teach them how to take care of themselves and how to look good and feel good. The ACA actually provides a cosmetic bag for them that they take home with them after this two-hour session so they take home all the tools they need,” Fearrington said.

In May, the Center will continue to host the programs as well as a free skin cancer screening, an annual community outreach program, according to Fearrington.

“That’s our big focus for May,” Fearrington said.

For more information, to make an appointment or to register, call the Cancer Center at 252-975-4308.