A Very Merry Night… Indeed!

Respites with Rina at A Christmas Carol

Scrooge and Marley welcomed more than 200 participants from Amy’s Treat and The NH Chapter of the Starlight Children’s Foundation for a spirited and magical night of theater, food and community on Sunday, December 4th as the Seacoast Repertory Theater hosted the non-profits for a private showing of their wonderful rendition of A Christmas Carol. Many, many thanks to Craig Faulkner, Carol Bridges and the talented actors and crew from Seacoast Rep, to the Labrie Family of The River House Restaurant who kindly donated the incredible food and Chef Gerry Walsh for pulling it all together so nicely, to Jim Jalbert, Jamie Lesniak and their superb drivers from C&J who transported many of our theater goers to and from the event in style and comfort and to Kelly Donohue and Favorite Foods for platters of desserts that helped to cap off a perfectly memorable evening.

Please click on any of the following photographs to enlarge.

In Honor of Rina Johnson

Keeping our Friend's Spirit Alive

To honor our good friend and volunteer Rina Johnson, who passed away due to complications from cancer on January 14, 2011, the board of directors of Amy's Treat has unanimously voted to name our successful patient outing program Respites with Rina.

These outings were Rina's brainchild, since she knew firsthand the value of patients coming together in community to support one another and to spend time doing something fun that had nothing to do with treatment or status as "cancer patient". Her advocacy and excitement for group outings will live on to inspire and renew the spirits of those who share in the difficult journey that is a cancer diagnosis.

Read our Amy's Treat remembrances>

RESPITES WITH RINA presents

Our Second Annual Fly Fishing with Amy x 2

The first and second edition of our 2nd Annual Fly Fishing with Amy took place on Saturday, October 1st and October 15th under threatening skies, but all had fun, some even (almost) caught fish and the rain mercifully held off. Following casting and tying lessons, our anglers headed into the Cocheco River with Guides and equipment courtesy of Great Bay Trout Unlimited, our partner in this Respites With Rina outing. The group was also treated to a wonderful meal compliments of Durham Marketplace, Mizuna, Dole and Bailey, Shaheen Bros., Starbucks of Dover and Newfields Country Store. Additional sponsors included First Colebrook Bank, Beth Rhode Campbell, Michael Decastro, Great Bay Limousine, Midway Oil Company, Black Sheep Design Company and Measured Progress who helped make this day possible.

Special thanks to Rene Cardinal for manning the grill and helping to prepare our amazing feast.

Click here to check out our first fly fishing event (2010)!

Amy's Treat Delivers a Trip to Oz

July 29nd - Prescott Park, Portsmouth, NH

Click here to read.

Amy's Treat Receives Award

May 22nd - Portsmouth Harbor Events and Conference Center, Portsmouth, NH

From the pages of the Foster's Daily Democrat

Sunday, May 22, 2011

PORTSMOUTH - The New Hampshire Psychological Association recently awarded its 2011 Distinguished Contribution Award to Amy's Treat.

Amy's Treat is an independent community organization dedicated to providing help to people undergoing treatment for cancer and their families.Amy's Treat coordinates with the professionals at the Seacoast Cancer Center in Dover, New Hampshire to provide whatever services, assistance, and "treats" may help these patients and their families deal with one of life's most stressful situations.

The Officers and the Board of Amy's Treat stage a series of fund-raising activities during the course of the year so that carefully selected gifts and assistance can be offered at critical times with minimal administrative complication.It is estimated that Amy's Treat has serviced approximately 1,600 individuals over the last four years at no cost to any recipient at any time.

The New Hampshire Psychological Association recognizes the unique contributions Amy's Treat has made it to the spiritual, emotional, and psychological well-being of these cancer patients and their loved ones.Amy's Treat has quickly become a unique and vital resource to a particularly vulnerable segment of the Seacoast New Hampshire community. Amy's Treat President Lenore Rogers and Board member Cecile Dubois accepted the award on behalf of the Board and supporters of Amy's Treat at the NHPA annual meeting in Portsmouth, NH.

Respite with Rina Update

May 3rd - Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA

Twenty five members of the Survivorship Team enjoyed a day at The Museum of Fine Arts and then a great meal at Polcari's in Saugus as part of Respites with Rina (sponsored by Amy's Treat).

Click here for pictures!

Thank you to all those who made this day possible; The folks at The Musuem of Fine Arts, Melanie Ashcroft, for lining up the participants and her tremendous work on behalf of Respites with Rina, Great Bay Limousine, for providing us transportation with Wayne behind the wheel, and Sabrina and all those Polcari's who made us feel so welcomed.

Respite with Rina Update

March 30th - Naked Plates and Weeksie's Pizza, Dover, NH

Members of the Survivorship Team spent an enjoyable afternoon compliments of Respites with Rina. Our artists had a terrific time displaying their creative side at Naked Plates in Dover, NH, followed by a delicious meal put on by our friends at Weeksie's Pizza.

Click here for pictures!

Our thanks to Naked Plates and Weeksie's for making this day possible. Soon up.... A trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston!

The Garden of Hope

BOSTON — A brick was placed in The Garden of Hope at Boston's City Hall Plaza honoring the memory of Amy Maliszewski and another in tribute to Dr. Barbara Civiello, Robin Luczek, RN “and all those at Seacoast Cancer Center who worked with Amy and who continue to provide exemplary care to those still in battle with their disease. This kind gesture was made by Pauline Alighieri who is the Executive Director of Friends of Mel -- www.friendsofmel.org.

Dover Cancer Center pair named Health Care Professionals of the Year

Originally reported on Foster.com

User Submitted News
Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Barbara Shea Civiello, MD (left, ) and Robin Luczek RN at the NECSS Award Luncheon.
(Courtesy photo)

DOVER — Dr. Barbara Shea Civiello and Robin Luczek, RN, of The Seacoast Cancer Center at Wentworth Douglass Hospital in Dover, have been named Health Care Professionals of the Year by the New England Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NECCS).

NECCS Health Care Professional Award honors a professional who has shown outstanding support to patient/survivors within the cancer community. Dr. Civiello and Ms. Luczek were selected for being founding board members of Amy's Treat and for their dedication to its continued success.

A luncheon was held at Wellesley College on Nov. 6 to honor the recipients. It was said of Civiello and Luczek, "Their commitment to comprehensive patient care is reflective of a culture of going above and beyond that is shared by those who work along side them at The Seacoast Cancer Center. Amy's Treat impact on their patient population is a result of that culture".

Amy's Treat is an all-volunteer legacy foundation created in memory of Amy Maliszewski, who was a patient of the Seacoast Cancer Center and who lost her life to cancer in September 2007. Amy's Treat mission is to provide solutions to the day to day difficulties of living with cancer and to offer unexpected treats to renew the spirit.

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The New England Coalition for Cancer Survivorship exists to educate, advocate, and empower cancer survivors and those lives that have been affected by cancer in the New England region. NECCS is comprised of patients/survivors, family members, friends, caregivers, and cancer-related organizations who work together to address the common issues that affect quality of life for New England cancer survivors.

The New England Coalition for Cancer Survivorship -- http://www.neccs.org

A Fishy Tale:
A Great Day of FLY FISHING WITH AMY!

The first Fly Fishing with Amy held on October 2nd was a huge success. Wonderful weather greeted the 13 Seacoast Cancer Center treaters as they took to the Cocheco River with volunteer guides from Great Bay Trout Unlimited. Each of our participants was given a lesson in tying, casting and entomology before gearing up and heading into the river in search of trout. No fish story here - all of our participants caught fish!

Many thanks to those who made this great outing possible: Wendy Nixon and all the wonderful guides from Great Bay Trout Unlimited, Rene Cardinal for his culinary skills, Measured Progress for the use of their property, New Hampshire Fish and Game for the waders and rods, The Big Bean and Kaleo Coffee for their contribution to breakfast, Weeksie's Pizza, Durham Marketplace, Favorite Foods and Shaheen Bros., for lunch and dessert, Black Sheep Design Company for our tee shirts as well as our corporate sponsors, Beth Rhode Campbell @ Masiello Group - Durham, Nossiff and Giampa, Ross Furniture, Seaport Fish, Mizuna and First Colebrook Bank. Nicely done!

Flyfishing with Amy T-shirt Design by Stephen Biasko of Black Sheep Design Co, Portsmouth, NH

Amy's Treat
Goes To The Dogs

On Saturday, August 7th, several members of the Seacoast Cancer Center's Survivorship Team took in the sights and sounds of Hadlock Field compliments of Amy's Treat to watch the Portland Sea Dogs play. It was a perfect summer night for baseball and a great time was had by all.

Click here for more pictures

An Outing With 'The Works'

Members of the Cancer Recovery Program at The Works enjoyed an outing at the Seacoast Repertory's wonderful production of “Our Town” on Friday, March 19th. Following the show, the group feasted on lunch at The River House as Chef Jerry showcased his immense talent. Transportation to and from the outing was provided by Michael of Port City Tours and Raymond at Feliciano Limousine of Rochester. The day was beautifully capped off with cookies for all, graciously provided by the bakery, Me and Ollies.

All of us at Amy's Treat send a special thanks to Carol Bridges at Seacoast Repertory for her donation of tickets, Executive Chef Gerry Walsh and his terrific culinary team at The River House and Pia, Brian and Roger at Me and Ollie's for the delicious cookies. Once again, none of this would have been possible without our amazing drivers, Michael and Raymond. Our thanks to them, as well as to Linda and Ed!