Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 65F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

A row of wigs provided by community donations, these are given for free to patients at Douglas County Cancer Services.

Jackie Barnett, executive director of Douglas County Cancer Services, talks in her office Wednesday at the Community Cancer Center in Roseburg.

Self care kits, provided for free by Douglas County Cancer Services, include skin care products for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The Community Cancer Center, located in Roseburg, is home to the offices of Douglas County Cancer Services.

A row of wigs provided by community donations, these are given for free to patients at Douglas County Cancer Services.

Jackie Barnett, executive director of Douglas County Cancer Services, talks in her office Wednesday at the Community Cancer Center in Roseburg.

Self care kits, provided for free by Douglas County Cancer Services, include skin care products for patients undergoing chemotherapy.

The Community Cancer Center, located in Roseburg, is home to the offices of Douglas County Cancer Services.

Walls lined with wigs and a rack of knitted hats greet visitors at Douglas County Cancer Services. The organization has been providing resources to cancer patients and survivors since 1989, relying on donations from the community in order to provide a number of services — financial assistance, transportation, breast prostheses or “knitted knockers,” bras, wigs, hats, scarves, turbans and Christmas food boxes.

“We are very connected, for what we do here and we all love what we do. It’s really a labor of love,” Executive Director Jackie Barnett said, talking about the volunteers who are part of the organization.

The organization is run by 12 volunteers and a board made up of 12 members.

Barnett has been involved at Douglas County Cancer Services for 28 years, first as a volunteer and now as the executive director for the past seven years, she said.

“Most of them are cancer survivors,” Barnett said. “And the rest of us have dealt with cancer with a family member.”

Betty Lashier had breast cancer in 2008 and 2009. Now, she has been a volunteer with Douglas County Cancer Services since May of 2021. As a volunteer, she helps patients who come in during her shift — sometimes this means helping them find the right wig or head scarf to wear, sometimes it means helping them fill out a request for financial assistance.

“The people that see us in cancer treatment, it’s one of the hardest times of their lives,” Lashier said. “I’ve been known to tear up because I remember when I was going through cancer.”

On average, Douglas County Cancer Services provides financial assistance to around 365 people a year, according to Barnett, and they provide many survivors and current patients with the other services they offer as well. Financial assistance includes rent or mortgage payments, utilities, a food card for groceries, gas cards and more.

“They come in here and either we help them financially or maybe they get a wig because they’re gonna lose their hair, and they leave smiling,” Barnett said. “That is what’s so fulfilling for us — to be able to provide that support for them.”

Austin Lincecum, 21, was diagnosed with stage 3 lymphoma in February. Shortly after, he sought support from Douglas County Cancer Services.

When he first started treatment, Lincecum was advised to use a sperm bank because chemotherapy can lead to infertility. An expensive process, Douglas County Cancer Services was able to help cover the cost and they are now providing Lincecum with rent assistance, he said.

“They’re just really on top of everything. Anything you need, anytime,” Lincecum said. “It’s been absolutely amazing. They have helped me beyond what I thought they could.”

The organization recently starting making self-care kits to provide to the nurses to distribute to patients receiving chemotherapy treatment at the Cancer Center. The kits include a washcloth, sunscreen, lip balm and moisturizer, among other skin care products.

“We’re the only one in Douglas County that do what we do,” Barnett said.

Douglas County Cancer Services is located at 2880 Northwest Stewart Parkway Suite 202, on the second floor of the Community Cancer Center, though they operate independently. It is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Nika Bartoo-Smith is a Snowden Intern for The News-Review. She can be reached at nsmith@nrtoday.com.

Your comment has been submitted.

There was a problem reporting this.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.

Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription

Would you like to receive our Daily Briefing? Signup today!

Would you like to receive our DC Family wrap up? Signup today!

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.

Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.