AOSW Connections

Wow! What an amazing conference we had in Atlanta! I am so honored to be part of an organization with such great volunteers like our Conference Planning Committee who put on such an AWESOME conference! They gave hours and hours of volunteer time to make it the quality educational experience it was. And we couldn’t have done it without our wonderful management staff from Kellen. A special thank you to our sponsors and award and scholarship recipients. It was extra special and a highlight of my time as President to honor the inaugural cohort of AOSW Fellows as well. This amazing group is in the process of forming and will begin the honor of nominating future Fellows.

Social media was abuzz around happenings at #AOSW2018! Our conference hashtag was found on Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram.

The AOSW annual conference in Atlanta included a great deal of exciting research activities! If you were not able to attend this year or if you missed some of the research sessions, here is a brief overview of some of these events.

Many of you were able to attend the 2018 conference in Atlanta. I hope you came away energized and have been able to apply lessons learned to your particular roles in oncology social work. A big thank you to the Conference Committee and our Kellen team for their work and commitment in the production of an exceptional conference.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is a very powerful book written about a boy‘s journey through his mother’s terminal diagnosis of cancer. The story is a definite tearjerker from start to finish. One of the highlights is how terminal cancer transforms family members in caring for a child, but the majority of the book revolves around the boy’s struggle to be in touch with his true thoughts and feelings. The monster’s character was able to confront the reality of the boy’s situation and provide closure to his mother’s terminal state. The book also touches on the reality of other kids—how mean and cruel other children can be during a normal school day. And, the book highlights that children with a parent experiencing a terminal illness have a strong desire to have a “normal” childhood.

Many thanks to the social workers who attended the Blood Cancer and Bone Marrow Transplant SIG meeting in Atlanta. Your energy and enthusiasm for collaborating and learning were amazing.

“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.” Rabindranath Tagore

Evolution. It happens in every aspect of life and business, including AOSW. Evolution is a reflection of change and movement. Healthy systems are dynamic systems that evolve and adjust to the influences around them. Evolution can be wonderful, if not always comfortable. As I work toward the conclusion of my three-year term as an AOSW Board Member, I can’t help but marvel at AOSW’s evolution in response to the complex world in which we live and the promise this organizational change heralds.