Soiree to raise funds for oncology pharmacist position
An annual fundraiser to support cancer care on Cape Cod returns in September with a new name and a new goal.
Now known as the “Soiree for Alice’s Classroom,” the gala event will raise funds for an oncology pharmacist, a new position at Cape Cod Hospital.
The Soiree will take place 6-9 p.m. Wednesday, September 13, at the Pelham House Resort in Dennis Port. The event includes a cocktail reception, hors d’oeuvres and two chances to win a Roberto Coin Jewelers shopping spree.
“You have a great time for a good cause,” said Melissa Marchand, a member of the organizing committee. “You can do good and have fun.”
The oncology pharmacist will be dedicated to patients taking oral chemotherapy. This will include helping to navigate cost-saving opportunities and limit insurance obstacles, which will afford more access to these drugs.
“We have oncology board-certified pharmacists in our treatment room who are responsible for the infusible medications, what people consider your typical chemotherapy and immunotherapy,” said Shelley West, director of oncology nursing and infusion services at Cape Cod Hospital. “What we don't have is that equivalent for all of the oral oncolytic drugs. About 30 to 35 percent of the current oncology drug pipeline is orals, meaning pills that patients have to take on their own.”
Education Face-to-Face
The oncology pharmacist will do face-to-face visits with patients to educate them about each drug, what they can expect to feel while taking it and how it works in the body, said West. “Some patients end up on these drugs long-term. It’s not like traditional chemo where we give it for 12 weeks and you're done,” she said. They’ll also review drugs that the patient’s already on for interactions. With an explosion of new oral oncology drugs, we need someone with the right expertise for this.”
Past events have helped raise funds for an oncology dietitian and an oncology nurse navigator, as well as a Sozo machine, a screening tool for breast cancer that detects lymphedema before symptoms appear.
Formerly known as the Soiree by the Bay, the event is now named in honor of the late Alice O’Neill, who was the organizing committee’s longest serving member. An elementary classroom teacher for over 40 years, she dedicated her life after her retirement to helping cancer patients, all while navigating her own journey with cancer, before passing in 2021. Alice’s Classroom, an endowment fund established to provide educational support for oncology patients and clinicians on Cape Cod, was founded in her honor in 2019.
“She was our honorary chair and honorary leader, but more importantly, the heart of the committee,” said committee member Sharon Kennedy.
“Alice always talked about loving life and enjoying life and wanting to get the most out of it,” said Marchand. “We want to do everything we can to help people who are going through their cancer journey to improve the quality of their lives.”
Kennedy said that since almost everyone knows someone who’s been affected by cancer, the Soiree is a way to recognize doctors, clinicians, nurses, technicians and everyone else on the oncology team. “It’s a fundraising event but, as opposed to how much money is raised, we like to view it as how many patients have been helped,” she said. “This event helps patients in a very tangible, important way.”
In addition to Kennedy and Marchand, the Soiree committee members are Phyllis Connelly, Barbara Dunn, Susan Ellis, Kathryn Norton and Diane Salomone.
Tickets for the Soiree can be purchased online.
