LONG BRANCH – Monmouth Medical Center kicked off its second annual Roll Out The Ribbons campaign kicked off during the annual Oceanfest 4th of July celebration.
A focal point of Roll Out The Ribbons is engaging the public in the creation of the Promenade of Hope, a half-mile stretch of railing along the boardwalk in Long Branch that begins near Rooney’s Oceanfront Restaurant and ends just before the Ocean Place Resort and Spa. People are asked to tie multicolored ribbons with messages along the rail.
From Memorial Day through Labor Day last year, Monmouth Medical Center proudly hung more than 7,000 ribbons along Long Branch’s oceanfront Promenade.
The medical center is committed to providing support to those affected by cancer. The Roll Out The Ribbons campaign is unique in that it pulls together the many cancer-specific ribbons to highlight the need to raise awareness to fight every cancer in every community.
Roll Out The Ribbons’ “Ribbon of Honor” was designed to represent all types of cancer, as symbolized by its color: lavender, the official color of awareness of all cancers. The colored stripes represent the 12 most common types of cancer: thyroid, prostate, pancreatic, bladder, breast, colorectal, endometrial, kidney, leukemia, lung, melanoma and lymphoma.
Monmouth Medical Center president and chief executive officer Frank J. Vozos, M.D., FACS, notes that the Promenade of Hope delivers messages of hope and healing to the community.
“As we once again fill the promenade with ribbons throughout the summer, we create a beautiful visual reminder of the fight against cancer and the need to support those facing a cancer diagnosis or grieving the loss of a loved one to the disease,” Vozos said. “We thank the individuals and businesses who supported this exciting campaign by helping us create an unforgettable and inspiring Promenade of Hope last summer, and look forward to joining with the community on another successful campaign.”
This year, Monmouth has created a natural extension of this message writing by encouraging people affected by cancer to experience the benefits of therapeutic journaling.
“As more and more people created Ribbons of Honor, the therapeutic effects of expressing challenging emotions through the written word became increasingly clear,” said mental health nurse Angela Brathovde, who serves as clinical director, Children’s Crisis Intervention Services for The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth and is the facilitator of Monmouth’s Holistic Council and chair of the system-wide Barnabas Health Holistic Council. “With such overwhelming evidence of the beneficial effects of writing, Roll Out The Ribbons has introduced Expressions of Hope, a project encouraging people affected by cancer to experience the therapeutic effects of creating written expressions.”
As clinical evidence mounts in support of expressive writing and its overall health benefits for people affected by cancer, scientists reveal specific advantages. Expressive writing helps people cope with stress and relieve anxiety, which can mean everything from improved mood to better quality and increased duration of sleep.
“Expressive writing has been shown to boost mental and physical health in people battling cancer; writing helps them express what is on their mind to relieve tension and improve quality of life,” said oncology nurse Peggy Laggner, the clinical director of Outpatient Infusion Services for Monmouth’s Leon Hess Cancer Center and an ad hoc member of the hospital’s Holistic council and a member of the Barnabas Health Holistic Council.
Key to the Expressions of Hope project will be the creation of a book that compiles the many letters and postcards received.
“It is our hope that the Expressions of Hope, which are being created solely for the therapeutic benefits to the writers, will prove therapeutic for readers too,” said Leon Hess Cancer Center social worker Joan Hogan. “Through the book, members of the community will have the opportunity to identify with the truly honest sentiments frustration, anger, grief and, most importantly, hope – expressed within the pages.”
Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the detection and treatment of cancer at the Leon Hess Cancer Center and The Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Monmouth Medical Center.
Additional information is available by visiting www.rollouttheribbons.com.
