Intro: Welcome to Conversations on Cancer, brought to you by the Riverside Cancer Institute. Providing answers, debunking myths, and sharing patient stories.

Gabby Cinnamon (Host): Welcome back to Conversations on Cancer, brought to you by the Riverside Cancer Institute. I'm your host, Gabby Cinnamon, and today I'm very excited to be joined by Denise Salem, Oncology Chaplain at the Riverside Cancer Institute to talk about spiritual health and cancer treatment.

Thank you so much for coming on the podcast today, Denise.

Denise Salem: Nice to be here, Gabby. Thank you.

Host: So this is your first episode with us. Can you tell us about yourself and your role here at the Cancer Institute?

Denise Salem: Of course. I am the new Oncology Chaplain that's been hired. I started the first week in January, but I'm not unfamiliar with Riverside. I moved here a year ago, August to take a residency in the chaplain pastoral care department for a year and never left. So I became an associate chaplain once that program was over and then I began at the cancer centers the first week in January.

Host: Wonderful. We're very excited to talk to you about this topic today. Can you tell us what spiritual health is, you know, for those who might not know?

Denise Salem: Yeah, I think spiritual health can be a little confusing. People might equate it with a direct correlation to a faith or religion, but really spirituality, as I have come to learn about it and live it, is a feeling or belief that there's something greater than oneself, more to what you see in front of you. And that may be finding peace with your life or, uh, anything that provides hope and comfort and strength on difficult days.

Host: Why is spiritual health important?

Denise Salem: Spiritual health gives you a feeling of purpose and meaning. And, an organization that I formerly worked with actually studied the role of purpose in one's life and longevity. And they have found that when one knows their purpose in life, it will extend your life up to seven years toward longevity. So it's another tool and a gift, if you will, that you can use in your life.

Host: Can you discuss the role of spirituality and faith in coping, you know, with the emotional and psychological aspects of cancer treatment. I'm sure there can be a lot of ups and downs throughout the treatment process.

Denise Salem: Right, there are, and we're here for both of those. I love to celebrate the good news with my patients. And I also sit with them in their suffering when they get news they don't quite understand or like to hear. So that role encompasses a lot of different emotions for me as well.

The role of spirituality and faith is to provide something that we can call upon that relieves our anxiety, perhaps depression and the feeling of hopelessness should that come to someone.

Host: So you mentioned, you know, helping your patients when they're at their highs and their lows. How do you support patients and their families with their spiritual health?

Denise Salem: I consider myself to be part of their support system. I recognize that support systems also need support. It takes a toll to walk with somebody on a cancer journey. It's not always an easy thing to do. So what I do in my role is simply provide a presence for those who are suffering or those who wish to share other things in their life going on that might be troublesome for them. This includes the family and friends, as well as the patient.

So as I just said, I provide a space for them that they can freely share and feel comfortable with.

Host: So, you know, a cancer diagnosis through the ups and the downs, I'm sure can bring questions to one's faith, make them question their faith and spirituality. How do you address those concerns with patients and their loved ones?

Denise Salem: Everyone's spiritual experiences and concerns are different. I help explore what it is they need to learn. I'm not here, and it's not my scope of my work to find answers for them. Conversation and questions and exploring. It does allow the patients the opportunity to come to their own insights and find their own answers.

Host: One thing that we like to talk about is the wonderful multidisciplinary team that you all have here. And how do you work alongside, you know, the medical professionals within the oncology team to provide this holistic care to our patients?

Denise Salem: Yes, we truly are a team here and at our other cancer centers as well. And of course, being holistic encompasses the mind, the body, and the soul. So what I do is try to pay attention to that which might be a spiritual need for my patient. And alongside that, then, of course, we have the, the staff who are specialized in the physical care.

I work with the mind and the soul, but it is all one. So if there's something that needs to be shared for the benefit of the patient. We can do that.

Host: Yeah. Those things go hand in hand, I'm sure. What are some tips that you give patients and, you know, even their family members to help maintain their spiritual health, um, throughout their treatment journey?

Denise Salem: Well, there are a couple things I like to share with them. First of all, I'm a very strong advocate of self-care for patients and their support systems because I did mention it. It takes a toll on support systems and, of course, the patient. Whatever that looks like, and feels like to the patient is what is best for them.

Whether it's canceling social obligations. Maybe they want to get more involved in a church or their neighborhood. Maybe they need to make decisions around things that take their time that aren't priorities. So whatever it is that they can do to alleviate additional stress of meet obligations and timelines,

I'm a big proponent of that. So self-care. And if that includes three naps during the day,

that's what I share them to do. I share what them to do. Please rest. Your body needs it.

Host: Yeah.

Denise Salem: The other thing that I do is encourage them to ask questions. This is a new journey for the majority of our patients. There's a lot of things they don't know. And it's okay to ask questions and bring lists with you to your appointments. It's also your right to be your own advocate. So I encourage that from everybody in the support systems. Welcome to do that too. There's a lot of overwhelming, I should say, and, unknowing and uncertainty and around that is always a question or two.

Gabby Cinnamon (Host): The stress and anxiety thing is interesting because, you don't realize I think sometimes when you are stressed and anxious until that phase of time is over, you know, like you don't realize what the toll that that's having on you. So I'm sure that, being able to relieve some of that through spiritual health makes a big difference because somebody might not even realize the toll that it's taking on them. So you've been here for about a year. How do you think that having an on site chaplain helps patients and their families? You've talked a lot about, um, all the wonderful things you do here today, but to kind of, you know, expand on that, how have you seen this impact our patients positively?

Denise Salem: Well, we have a great team here and they already get excellent care, but my belief is that the spiritual care is an extra layer of what they are already receiving. And it's meant to be something of comfort to our patients. For example, it may be my listening ear, a simple presence. It might just be silence and sitting with someone.

It's celebrating their good news. It might be helping them explore an issue they need help around. Providing a devotion, a prayer, a blessing, a baptism. Anything that I can do within my scope of work, and that I'm able to do, I'm happy to do for them. And that includes the families and friends and support system.

Host: Before we go today Denise, do you have any parting words or anything you'd like to leave us with?

Denise Salem: In the research that I had done last summer for a project, I discovered that cancer is on the rise, especially in our young adults under the age of 50. The rate of cancer incidence is growing a cumulative rate by 2 percent each year for those folks under age

Host: Oh wow.

Denise Salem: 50.

Host: Oh wow.

Denise Salem: We can't exactly pinpoint, of course, why, but we could certainly throw out a number of reasons why that might be the case. With the exponential growth of cancer in our country today, I think it's imperative to continue to provide spiritual care at every level that we possibly can. For staff, for family and friends, and of course, the patient. Yes.

Host: Well, I think that's all we have for today. Thank you so much, Denise, for sharing all this with us. The Cancer Institute is so lucky to have you.

Denise Salem: Thank you so much.

Host: And thank you, listeners, for tuning in to Conversations On Cancer brought to you by the Riverside Cancer Institute.

For more information about the Riverside Cancer Institute, visit riversidehealthcare.org/cancer. Also make sure to rate and leave a review for our show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.