Cancer patients and their loved ones are constantly searching for new sources of information, and answers to many questions after a diagnosis of cancer. The BC Cancer Agency's Centre for the Southern Interior has a video designed to alleviate some of the anxiety faced by newly-diagnosed cancer patients.

Your first steps toward healing a 23-minute video written and produced by the Centre for the Southern Interior, gives patients an idea of what to expect before their first visit to the Centre.

Patients, particularly from out of town, find it useful to know what the Centre looks like, where to park, learning about the treatment team, and seeing the equipment before the time comes for treatment, says Azmina Lakhani, regional professional practice leader for Patient and Family Counselling.

"In addition to decreasing their anxiety, it prepares patients for their first consult, and makes their first visit more useful," explains Azmina. "Family members have also found it very helpful. They know what their loved one will experience, and the resources that they as a family can access."

Over the next year, the Centre for the Southern Interior will treat 2,000 new patients. The video demystifies the process of planning treatment, and the treatment itself, explains Sandra. "It highlights the unique services offered at the centre to patients, their families and friends. It should provide a greater level of hope and comfort to new cancer patients."

The video includes information about:

• How to prepare for the first visit
• Treatment options
• Members of the cancer care team and their roles
• Range of services available to patients

Before the first visit, patients usually want to know many practical things, such as how to get to the centre, what to bring, where the appointments will take place who they will meet, what they will be asked, and who they should bring with them for support.

It is important to give patients an orientation to the centre before they arrive, says Sandra Broughton, BC Cancer Agency Regional Administrator.

"This is a way of helping them adjust to the unexpected diagnosis and the unexpected visit to a cancer centre," explains Sandra. "If we can alleviate their anxiety by providing information, then we hope they will be ready to receive the diagnosis and treatment information."

The video features patients who share their experiences, and present a personal view of the facility, the services available, and their thoughts on what truly is "the most important thing."

Hilde Bartl, who is currently receiving treatment, says that before her first visit to the Centre, she had no idea what to expect. Having a virtual tour of the building, its services and staff made her feel much more relaxed prior to her treatment.

"I was so glad that I saw this video before I went to the Centre," says Hilde. "It really took the fear away for me, because now, I was going into a place I recognized. I know it will be helpful to others in the same situation."

Mary Unsworth, also a patient at the Centre for the Southern Interior, appears in the video with her husband. A new patient herself at the time the video was made, Mary felt it would be a way to help relieve the anxieties of others who had yet to visit the Centre.

"When I was first diagnosed, I was petrified," Mary says. "I had no idea what to expect. If I had been able to see a video like this before my first appointment, it would have calmed me down. This video takes you through the steps, tells you about the services, and lets people know that they're not alone."

Copies of the video are available at the Centre for the Southern Interior's library (it will be mailed out to those who request it), at BC Cancer Agency communities oncology centres, at Canadian Cancer Society offices, and through the Navigator office in the Kootenay Boundary.