When retired math teacher Barbara Kane was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 1997, Middle Tennessee didn’t have a Gilda’s Club. But Barbara sure could have used one, she says. “My kids were in middle and high school at the time, and there was no real support available for any of us. My family...

Teens and young adults who have been impacted by cancer have unique needs, which is why Gilda’s Club has an Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Specialist on staff. What does this mean for our younger members and their families? We sat down with Megan Ingram Forshey, LCSW, to learn more. Why is it important to...

Certified Health Coach Danielle Gilbert first became involved with Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee in the late 2000s, when her good friend Dr. Gail Addlestone called to say she wanted to run a half-marathon to benefit Gilda’s Club – and she wanted Danielle to get involved, too. Danielle (thankfully and wonderfully) said “yes” – and she...

At our 20th Anniversary Bash, held October 30, 2018, we honored and celebrated three community leaders for their giving hearts and extraordinary community impact. Among the three was The Sprintz Family and Sprintz Furniture. Learn more about their Gilda’s story in this excerpt from the event program. When the Sprintz family was first introduced to...

By Sandy ObodzinskiPresident and CEO, Gilda’s Club Middle Tennessee Gilda’s Club opened its first red door in Middle Tennessee 20 years ago today – on August 3, 1998, to be exact. As we embark on a year of remembrance, celebration and aspirations for the future, it only seems natural to think back to our own...

By Heather Parham, member To date, I am a six time survivor of a rare cancer called Metastatic Myxoid Vulvar Sarcoma. I have had chemo several times, radiation once of a brain tumor and again on my chest for my lung, and too many surgeries to mention. When I was first diagnosed in 1993, Gilda’s...

Janey Street performed to a full house last week at City Winery Nashville in support of her new album, My Side of Paradise available now on Blue Élan Records. The show opened, as many Nashville gigs do, with a roundtable of eminently talented singer-songwriters sharing their most recent compositions as well as their biggest hits.  The night was...

By Chuck Beard, volunteer This year, if my math doesn’t fail me, marks my sixth year as a running coach for Gilda’s Gang. I don’t consider myself a coach or a runner so saying that out loud or writing that here feels funny to me. I’m just a regular guy who likes to jog to...

By Caitlyn Holland, member I wasn’t one of those girls who had been planning her wedding day since she was seven, but I knew what I wanted. At our age, Pete and I had been to enough weddings to know what we liked and didn’t, and of the two of us, I’m the type-A, agenda-toting...

By Hal Potts, member That room. I couldn’t believe I was sitting in that room in Gilda’s Club. I learned about Gilda’s Club six years ago when my best friend Danny developed brain cancer and died six months later.  I had set up a CaringBridge website for him and three years later, to my complete shock my...