Self-Cafe for Those Affected by Cancer

By Rumni Saha

On June 10, 2025, Rumni Saha, interfaith chaplain at AAIC, hosted a self-care workshop at Sturdy Memorial Hospital titled “Caring for Yourself Through the Journey: Self-Care for Those Affected by Cancer.” It was an interactive presentation with discussions, reflections, and resource sharing for patients, caregivers and staff interested in the topic of self-care. Chaplain Rumni was joined by Susan Therien, Oncology Social Worker, and Michelle Byrnes, Oncology Program Nurse Navigator. The workshop covered the various dimensions of self-care–Physical, Emotional, Mental and Spiritual as well as the common challenges to self-care and ways to overcome them. The attendees went home with care bags filled with pens, journals, lip balms, seed packets and community resources.

It turned out to be a space for communal sharing and holistically engaging with the topic of self-care.

“Self-care is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.”Audre Lorde