A New Impression in the Fight Against Cancer

The experience is different for everyone, Mary Gambarony said. Some are just looking for an escape, and the introduction to a new pastime to help pass time accomplishes just that. For others, however, there’s something more, a deep connection to the process that yields profound realizations.

Gambarony is an art therapist leading an initiative at in Red Bank called “New Impressions.” The program is designed for patients newly diagnosed with cancer, either in treatment or post treatment. The goal is to help patients find a creative outlet as they cope with their very personal, as Gambarony calls them, journeys.

“Many patients just need to kind of decompress,” she said. “The experience can also be very cathartic. Images that surface on a black canvas can be very powerful and may have additional meaning to them. It kind of depends on what the individual brings, what kind of needs they have and what they expect. Generally, it is a positive experience for the patients involved.”

The brand new program is still looking for its first participant, though Gambarony said patients have expressed interest. Right now, the hospital is getting the word out about the program, which is free to participants and funded through a grant from the Paul R. Nardoni Foundation. According to a release from the hospital, Nardoni, who passed away from Hodgkin’s disease, found art therapy helpful during his cancer battle.

The focus of the program, Gambarony said, will be on participants healing and growing through art, as well as receiving group support. The program is open to all members of the community 18 and over who have faced a cancer diagnosis, a release states. Talent isn’t required, it continues, just an open-minded approach to the potential of arts as a healing modality.

Gambarony has worked with children and the hospital’s inpatient oncology department for more than 10 years. With the new program, Gambarony hopes to meet the specific needs of the cancer patient.

“They go through so much with their medical treatments,” she said “We really want to try to meet their other needs, the spiritual, mental, everything else that goes along with art therapy.

“I really just, my hope is that we can provide a space for them to do whatever they want on this point in their journey.”

One of the best things about art, she said, is that it’s accepting. What ever a patient needs to say or express can be without any hindrances. For many, the experience helps cancer patients reduce stress.

“Often times the cancer experience is so overwhelming – the side effects, the pain they feel,” she said. “Art can be a respite, it can be a joyous experience, art can be a place where they go to get away and do something that feels good.”

The program is scheduled for Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will be held in the Jane H. and John Marshall Booker Cancer Center Conference Room at Riverview Medical Center. Participation is open-ended and participants can join at any time. Registration is required. Please call (732) 530-2382 to reserve a spot in the program. Any additional questions can be answered by Mary Gambarony at mgambarony@meridianhealth.com.