'It's always something' at Gilda's Club Seattle

General Article
October 3, 2002

Recently opened sanctuary works closely with center, Alliance patients, staff

Seattleites Sally Brotman (right), who underwent a stem-cell transplant at Fred Hutchinson, and Jerry Liebermann, who underwent a bone-marrow transplant at Fred Hutchinson, participate in a session of Pilates, an exercise system focused on improving flexibilty and strength, at Gilda's Club. Photo by Todd McNaught

By JANIS SIEGEL

Do you like "Baking to the Oldies"? If not, how about Pilates? Or tai chi or a violin recital?

You name it and Gilda's Club Seattle, in its ninth month, has it. It's a place that would be fun to hang around even if you aren't personally affected by cancer.

Every activity there builds on the concept that people don't have to live isolated lives. That is exactly the way Gilda Radner, the famous comedian who died of cancer in 1989, wanted it to be.

"It's always something" was the wacky but wise admonition Radner used in character as the eternally ethnic Italian nerd, Roseanne Roseannadanna, on "Saturday Night Live" in the 1970s. Those words are in action today at the 14 clubs that bear her name. There's always something - something going on, that is.

On Capitol Hill at 1400 Broadway, Gilda's Club Seattle is the first on the West Coast. With more than 210 members, the Seattle club provides free services, activities and support groups to anyone living with cancer, including patients from the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and any other hospital, as well Fred Hutchinson and Alliance faculty and staff and their families.

Not formally associated with a hospital, the club has an informal atmosphere (its motto is "Living with cancer ? Come as you are!") and is located centrally to provide easy access to all.

"All Gilda's Clubs are meant to be freestanding, neutral buildings," said Anna Gottlieb, executive director. "We have doctors from all of the hospitals on our board. The hospitals appreciate us because we can supplement so many things that they can't do."

With exercise classes, birthday parties, kids' and teen activities, art, antiques and a spacious, red-brick kitchen, the club also sports a library, a yoga room and Internet resource rooms. Soon, a coffee bar will open on the first floor.

Firsthand experience

A former Fred Hutchinson patient-family volunteer, Gottlieb knows the importance of this kind of support firsthand. Her own mother developed breast cancer and her sister-in-law had leukemia. After visiting the first Gilda's Club that opened in New York in 1995, she became inspired.

Gottlieb started forming the club in 1998, with the help of Sears, the Gilda's Club national sponsor at the time, and 3,000 local employees. Since the club opened in March, Fred Hutchinson and the Alliance have been informal partners.

Among its many connections to Fred Hutchinson is Sally Benson, former center social worker, and current Gilda's Club program director. And Fred Hutchinson and Alliance staff are pleased by the presence of the organization.

"I think Gilda's Club could benefit anyone dealing with cancer," said Judy Campbell, longtime research nurse for the Alliance and, earlier, Fred Hutchinson.

Campbell noted that the Alliance offers a support group for post-transplant patients that meets from noon to 1 p.m. every Thursday. She also said the Alliance recommends that patients not enter large crowds and group events until about a year post-transplant.

"But Gilda's Club and the Alliance support groups are a perfect complement to each other," she said. "We're really excited to have Gilda's Club as a resource."

The club observes precautions similar to those of the Alliance to halt the spread of infections. Immuno-suppressed patients are not exposed to large groups at Gilda's Club, and staff and volunteers are requested not to come if they have signs of an infectious disease. Hand washing also is strongly encouraged.

Anyone living with cancer, their family, partners and friends and anyone whose loved one has died of cancer is also welcome to become a Gilda's Club member. All it takes is attendance at a 90-minute meeting and completion of a membership plan with a club social worker. Each month, an event calendar is mailed to members. Volunteers, always needed, provide many services and amenities.

"I volunteer at the club, but I don't have a specific job," said Sally Brotman, a longtime Seattle resident who underwent a stem-cell transplant at Fred Hutchinson.

"Whatever needs to be done, I'm available. I write the tributes when someone makes a contribution, and I'm also in charge of the gift shop.

"Even though you have family and friends, no one really understands what you're going through like people who have gone through it or are going through it. During the long hours between doctor's appointments, you can come and sit in a lounge chair, just hang out or participate in an activity. It's very much needed. It's a dream come true."

Jerry Liebermann also volunteers at the club. When diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia in 1978 at age 22 while living in New York, Fred Hutchinson was the only center in the world that would perform his bone-marrow transplant with a mismatched donor. He had a second transplant after a relapse in 1998.

"I write all the software they use to manage the club," said Liebermann, a retired bio-engineer who designed instrumentation and software for medical diagnosis. "I meet people here, and it's a wonderful part of my life. I'm able to give back and help people. What greater honor is there in the world?"

Liebermann was involved in the first Fred Hutchinson support group for transplant patients in the late 1980s. He said some in the group have known each other for 12 years.

Resident techie

They now meet at Gilda's Club. He runs the group, has created a database for tracking, calendaring and planning events and is their self-described "resident techie." He spends 10 to 30 hours a week at the club.

"Our group deals with long-term issues for patients who are six months or greater from transplant," Liebermann said. "The club provides a nicer environment than a meeting room in a research building."

No one at the club would disagree. After a long search, Gottlieb found the two-floor, red brick house on the corner of Broadway and Union. Built in 1911, it originally was Johnson's Mortuary and later housed a law firm for 20 years.

Designed as a replica of Thomas Jefferson's Virginia home, the building boasts Roman columns on either side of the entrance, molding along its inside ceilings and a grand staircase with lots of windows and light.

The welcoming atmosphere is reflected in its red front door, the mark of Gilda's Clubs worldwide - a bold, vibrant color that fits the personality of its famous namesake.

Center News Table of Contents