(Reprinted from Mature Lifestyles, April 1999)
By Sean B. Pasternak
One-third of the popular childrens entertainers Sharon, Lois and Bram, Sharon Hampson is discussing a subject much more serious than elephants out to play or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches these days.
Hampson, with numerous number-one albums and a successful television series to her credit, is a breast cancer survivor who hopes to tell people about how she coped with the deadly disease.
"What I do know from my own experience is that when you're diagnosed with cancer, you have a thousand questions, a million questions," she says. "You don't know who to ask and you don't know where to go, and sometimes the doctors give you more information than you can absorb at one time."
Knowing that others face those same dilemnas every day, Hampson has teamed up with the Oakville-based Juniper Communications to create 'COPE with Cancer', an interactive computer CD-ROM available to cancer patients through the Canadian Cancer Society. The program features survivor stories, resources and other information that patients can review from the comfort of their own home.
"The beauty of this (CD-ROM) is that if you think of something, you can go to the computer, and see if the information is there," Hampson says. "If what you're reading is too much emotionally for you to deal with, then you put it aside and go back to it later. It's very accessible, and I'm computer illiterate."
In addition, 'COPE with Cancer' discusses strategies on how to contend with what is generally a very unsettling experience. Even in the spotlight as an entertainer and a celebrity, Hampson has had to discover her own techniques to get through the day.
"I talk to people; I got a lot of support from people who've been through it," she admits. "I used relaxation techniques for sleep; night time was very difficult, and I think finding strategies to help you relax are very important.
"I have a wonderful family and so I had enormous family support. I think that people who don't have that support need to seek out in other ways, like through support groups, because the support makes a very big difference."
The technology and information available these days can also make a difference to cancer patients. "People want the information, and that's very clear now," she says. "There is less resistance for providing it, and there's more action to get information to people, and I think that's great."
During her own coping with cancer, Hampson has maintained an active role within the Sharon, Lois and Bram trio which generations of children have grown to love. While she may take a week off here or there ("I probably didn't take off as much time as I needed to," she admits), the people behind 'One Elephant Deux Elephantes' and 'Skinnamarink' continue to actively tour and record new material. "We go through our performing life together as evolving human beings, but with the music that unites us," she says.
Anyone interested in the 'COPE with Cancer' CD-ROM should call 1-888-939-3333.
