PHOENIX — June is Men’s Health Awareness Month and ABC15 wants you to know there are free resources in our community that are here to help, no matter what.
Whether it be you yourself or someone you know, just about everyone probably knows someone affected by cancer.
Cancer Support Community Arizona said one in three women and one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime and they want everyone to know it’s okay to ask for help.
CSCAZ CEO Julie Dunnigan said sometimes, especially for men, there can be a stigma around asking for help.
“What I would like to say to the men out there is, don't be afraid to go for your screenings and your checkups because if they do find something, we’re your safety net, we're going to catch you before you fall, and we're going to make sure that everything is taken care of for yourself, but for your family as well,” Dunnigan said.
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The cancer journey can be an isolating one. Matthew Steed found himself on it back in 2018 as a junior at Northern Arizona University when he was diagnosed with melanoma.
“As part of my journey, I never felt like I was allowed to feel the way that I [feel], allow it to affect me,” Steed said.
When he dealt with a recurrence in 2021, he stumbled upon CSCAZ when he looking up support in the Phoenix area.
“I knew that if I had to go through all of this again, I didn't think I was gonna be able to do it. And then when I came to newcomer orientation, I was just thinking to myself, how did I not know any of this existed before?” he said. “It was tough not having someone else to talk to you about it… you can get plenty of support from other people. But most people don't know actually what to say, and so they end up saying the wrong thing.”
The right type of support, Dunnigan said, is crucial to not only physical health but mental health as well.
“By surrounding yourself with a community who understands what it's like to go through this disease, you're going to be stronger mentally, which is, in turn, going to lead to you being stronger physically,” Dunnigan said. “That's been scientifically proven to make sure to give you those good outcomes for your cancer and make sure that you're doing everything you can to have the best possible success with your treatment.”
The nonprofit has about 100 free services, classes and programs every month, both in-person and virtually. They serve both English and Spanish speaking populations.
It is all made possible through donations, grants, and volunteers.
