At the Strike Out Fear Foundation, we understand that a cancer diagnosis impacts far more than just the physical body. For many, the emotional and mental toll can be just as heavy as the physical one. That is why we believe that nurturing the mind and spirit is an essential part of the journey toward wellness

Healing the Whole Person: Mind, Body, and Spirit

We believe that treating cancer means caring for the emotional and spiritual impact of the diagnosis, not just physical disease. Integrative Care is a powerful, whole-person approach that combines conventional medical treatments with evidence-based mind-body therapies.

These practices don’t replace your clinical care; they enhance it. By working in harmony with your medical team, integrative therapies can help you:

• Reduce the weight of stress and anxiety.
• Manage physical side effects more effectively.
• Nurture lasting hope and emotional resilience.
• Reclaim a sense of personal control over your life.
• Enhance your overall quality of life during and after treatment.
• Increase your body’s tolerance for challenging treatments.
• Improve your long-term prognosis and treatment outcomes.

By incorporating these tools into your plan, you are doing more than managing a diagnosis — you are actively promoting your own healing. Together, we are Building a Bridge from Fear to Hope.

Mind-Body Foundations

These evidence-based and holistic practices are designed to help you navigate the emotional “rollercoaster” of treatment by addressing the connection between your thoughts and your physical well-being.

• Mindfulness & Meditation: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and meditation use simple breathing techniques and guided imagery, which can lower your heart rate and quiet the mind, allowing you to find a “calm center” if you are feeling restless or spiritually drained
• Acupuncture: Often used to reduce side effects from treatment, acupuncture …..
• Yoga, Tai Chi, & Gentle Movement: Specifically adapted for cancer patients, Restorative Yoga, Tai Chi, and gentle movement help combat treatment-related fatigue, improve flexibility, and help you feel “at home” in your body again.
• Reiki & Energy Healing: A gentle, non-invasive practice that promotes deep relaxation and stress reduction. Many patients find Reiki helpful in easing the “inner noise” of treatment and fostering a sense of peace and spiritual balance.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A structured, goal-oriented talk therapy that helps you identify and shift the negative thought patterns—such as “what-if” anxieties—that often accompany a diagnosis. CBT is highly effective for reducing distress and improving sleep.
• Somatic Therapy: Since trauma and stress are often “held” in the body, somatic therapy uses physical awareness to help release tension. By focusing on bodily sensations, you can calm your nervous system and process the physical impact of your journey. Many cancer patients guard their emotions and “tough it out” during treatment, but find they have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), long after treatment is completed. Somatic therapy helps release the lingering emotional trauma of their experience.
• Music or Art Therapies: A cancer diagnosis and treatment can give rise to overwhelming negative emotions and depression. Art and music therapies offer ways to process complex emotions when words aren’t enough, providing a profound sense of release and peace.

• Nutrition Therapy: Cancer and its treatment are unusually taxing to your body. Optimizing your nutrition can help you maintain strength, reduce fatigue and treatment side effects, and strengthen your immune system.

Updated Chart with Symptom List and Suggested Integrative Treatment

Trusted Resources for Integrative Care

Leading Organizations & Clinical Guidelines

• Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO): The premier organization for evidence-based integrative cancer care. Their patient page offers guides on using therapies like acupuncture and meditation safely.
• National Cancer Institute (NCI): Complementary & Alternative Medicine: A comprehensive government resource explaining the science behind various mind-body practices.
• American Cancer Society: Integrative Medicine: Clear, patient-friendly information on how holistic therapies can help manage side effects and improve quality of life.

Tools for Managing Symptoms & Wellness

• MSKCC “About Herbs” Database: A world-class tool from Memorial Sloan Kettering to help patients check the safety and effectiveness of herbs, vitamins, and supplements.
• Penny Brohn UK: Whole Person Approach: Excellent resources and “self-care” videos for nutrition, movement, and emotional resilience based on 40 years of integrative experience.
• UCLA Simms/Mann Center for Integrative Oncology: Offers valuable insights into psychosocial support, including spiritual care and the “Living Beyond Limits” program for those with advanced cancer.

Mind-Body Practice Resources

• Mindful.org: Getting Started with Meditation: Practical, non-clinical guides for patients who want to start a daily mindfulness practice at home.
• Yoga4Cancer (y4c): An evidence-based yoga methodology specifically designed for cancer survivors to help manage recovery and long-term health.

Talking to Your Doctor About Integrative Care

Integrative care is most effective when it’s coordinated. We recommend discussing these options with your oncology team to ensure they are tailored to your specific treatment plan and physical needs.

A Patient’s Discussion Guide

Bringing up “mind-body” or “holistic” therapies with your medical team is a proactive step in your healing. Use this guide during your next appointment to ensure your integrative plan is safe, effective, and fully coordinated with your clinical treatment.

Opening the Conversation

• “I’ve been researching ways to manage my (stress/fatigue/nausea), and I’m interested in adding some integrative practices to my routine. Can we discuss what might be safe for me?”
• “I’m looking for ways to support my emotional well-being and physical strength during treatment. Are there specific mind-body therapies you recommend or suggest I avoid?”

Specific Questions to Ask

1. Safety & Timing: “Are there any activities—like yoga or massage—that I should wait until after my surgery/radiation/chemo to start?”
2. Physical Limitations: “Given my current treatment, are there specific physical movements or positions I should avoid?”
3. Supplements & Nutrition: “I am considering taking (Name of Supplement/Vitamin). Will this interfere with my current medications or treatment efficacy?”
4. Hospital Resources: “Does this hospital or cancer center offer an integrative medicine program or have a list of vetted practitioners (oncology massage, acupuncture, etc.)?”

 My “Integrative Interest” List

(Check the ones you want to discuss)

[  ] Mindfulness/Meditation (To help with anxiety and sleep)

[  ] Yoga or Tai Chi (To help with fatigue and flexibility)

[  ] Acupuncture (To help with neuropathy or nausea)

[  ] Art or Music Therapy (To help with emotional expression)

[  ] Nutrition/Supplements (To support my body’s strength)

Notes for the Patient:

• Be Specific: If you want to try a specific herb or a certain type of exercise, bring the name or a print-out of the details.
• The “Why”: Tell your doctor why you want to try it (e.g., “I’m having a hard time sleeping,” or “My joints feel very stiff”). This helps them give you better advice.
• Keep a Log: Once you start a new therapy, keep track of how you feel. If a side effect improves—or if a new one appears —update your medical team right away.

A Walk-Off for Hope: Nolan’s Journey from Diagnosis to the Dugout

For most people, baseball is a game of inches. For Nolan Smith, it became a field of dreams.

In 2024, at 20 years old, Nolan’s world was upended by a diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer that impacts children and young adults. The months that followed were a blur of biopsies and grueling chemotherapy. The physical toll was immense, culminating in an external hemipelvectomy — a life-altering surgery that took half of his pelvis. But just when the diagnosis felt like it might define him, a surprise visit to Oracle Park turned a grueling season into “A Walk-Off for Hope.”

“I was scared and depressed for months,” Nolan remembers. “I didn’t want to do anything at all.”

But even in the quietest, darkest moments of recovery, two things remained constant: the unwavering support of his mother, Kelly Silversmith, and his lifelong love for the Chicago Cubs that began at Wrigley Field when he was just five years old.

A Bond Beyond the Diamond

Hope often arrives in the form of a friend who truly understands the weight of the battle. Nolan found that friend in David Benzer, a Camera Operator for the San Francisco Giants and the Founder of the Strike Out Fear Foundation, who had faced his own cancer battle in 2010. Bound together by their shared “cancer journeys” and an obsession with box scores, the two formed a brotherhood that transcended their illness.

When David told Nolan he was “working on something amazing,” Nolan dared to dream. He shared his admiration for Cubs’ stars Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ. He didn’t know then that a miracle was in the making.

The Best Present Imaginable

Thanks to David’s incredible coordination between the San Francisco Giants and the Chicago Cubs, Nolan’s dream stepped off the TV screen and onto the grass.

Standing on the field with David and his mother—the woman he calls the most important person in his journey — Nolan met his heroes. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Ian Happ didn’t just offer autographs; they offered their time, their kindness, and a moment of pure, unadulterated joy for a young man who had earned it a thousand times over.

“David gave me the best present I could have asked for,” Nolan said. “They could not have been nicer guys.”

A Journey Captured in Frames

Looking at the photos from that night, you don’t see a patient — you see a fan. You see a son. You see a young man who has faced the unimaginable and come out the other side with a smile.

From a beloved old photo of Nolan and his dad at his first game at Wrigley Field to the high-definition joy of him standing in the Cubs’ dugout at Oracle Park, these images represent more than just a game. They represent the victory of the human spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I came very close to losing my life.”

These are the powerful words of Greg Papa — the beloved, iconic voice of Bay Area sports for the 49ers, Raiders, Warriors, Giants, and A’s. For decades, Greg has brought fans unforgettable moments, unforgettable calls, and an unmistakable voice that defines game day across the Bay Area.

Today, Greg is facing the toughest battle of his life: Acute Lymphoblastic B-cell Leukemia (ALL), an aggressive blood cancer.

Greg has stepped away from the broadcast booth to undergo a life-saving stem cell transplant at UCSF. The treatment requires a prolonged hospital stay followed by months of intensive recovery. While his determination is unwavering, the financial burden of uncovered medical expenses and extended recovery costs is significant — even with insurance.

Through our Patient Assistance Program, The Strike Out Fear Foundation has established a dedicated GoFundMe campaign to help cover Greg’s uncovered medical treatment and recovery expenses.

Your Support Will Fuel His Comeback

Greg has spent his career connecting generations of fans to the teams they love. He has been there for the biggest plays, the championship runs, and the moments that brought our community together.

Now, it’s our turn to rally around him.

Your gift — whether large or small — will help lift the weight of financial stress so Greg can focus entirely on healing, regaining strength, and returning to the microphone healthy and strong.

This is more than a donation.
It’s a way to say thank you.
It’s a way to stand beside him.
It’s a way to show that connection truly heals.

Join Us. Donate Today. 

Together, we can help Greg write his greatest comeback story yet.

GoFundMe for Greg Papa

 Connection Heals.

On April 3rd, the world lost a truly amazing person. A mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend, Courtney Dickson Whalen touched many lives and leaves behind a legacy of love, gratitude and community. In honor of Courtney, the Strike Out Fear Foundation is dedicating our current research into complementary treatments and healing to Courtney’s memory, and to her family— Will, Tyler, and Price. As Courtney navigated her cancer diagnosis and treatment, she and Will became increasingly aware that Western medicine with all of its advances, does not— for the most part— honor the psychological and spiritual challenges facing the patient. The integration of the body, mind, and soul in treatment is essential for healing. We offer a list of Complementary Resources for Healing in our Resources section that have helped patients we have met in our work over the last eight years.

Courtney’s family has requested that donations be made to the Strike Out Fear Foundation. You may make a donation by clicking the donate button. Please note that the donation is in memory of Courtney Dickson Whalen in the comments section. If you prefer to send a check, please send it to:

The David Benzer Strike Out Fear Foundation
429 Upton Street
Redwood City, CA 94062