Cancer Support Sonoma provides complementary therapy services to people diagnosed with cancer to find support and improve quality of life.
Cancer Support Sonoma helps people with cancer find support and improve their quality of life.
02/16/2026
🎶 Sound Healing — Now Every Thursday 🎶
Join us for a deeply immersive, full-body listening experience designed to nurture the body, mind, and spirit at Cancer Support Sonoma (CSS).
🗓 Thursdays
⏰ 4:00–5:00 pm
📍 Location: CSS, 585 1st St W, Sonoma
💲 Cost: $15 for CSS clients
👩🏫 Offered by: Susan O’Toole
Settle into a zero-gravity recliner and allow the resonant sounds of Crystal Singing Bowls to wash over you. These vibrations are not only heard—they’re felt—penetrating to a cellular level to support deep relaxation and restoration.
Life’s stresses, trauma, anxiety, and illness can create dissonance within the body. A sound bath helps bring the body, mind, and heart back into harmony. Each session is unique—some experience visualizations or emotional release, while others find a profound sense of peace. The shared intention is simple: cultivate deep calm and contentment.
Don’t miss this opportunity to build your strength and mobility with certified trainers at Parkpoint Sonoma!
🗓 6-Week Series: February 14 – March 24
👥 Who: Available to Cancer Support Sonoma (CSS) clients at no charge
⏰ Sessions:
• Tuesdays | 2:30–3:00 pm
• Saturdays | 10:00–10:30 am
✨ These sessions are designed to support healing, build confidence, and help you return to the daily activities you enjoy.
Take this next step for your health and well-being!
Parkpoint Sonoma
02/12/2026
🧘♀️ Oncology Yoga at Cancer Support Sonoma 🧘♂️
Oncology Yoga integrates restorative poses with gentle, dynamic movement—supported by chairs when needed—and is thoughtfully adapted to your energy and ability level so everyone can benefit. These classes are designed especially for CSS clients and their caregivers. Join Susan O’Toole, certified Yoga Instructor and Oncology Yoga Specialist, for a session focused on yoga and mindfulness to help reduce many side effects of cancer treatment.
✨ Class Schedule
Mondays: 3:00–4:15 pm
Wednesdays: 4:00–5:15 pm
New Class! Susan is also now offering an introduction to yoga for clients who are immune compromised (please wear a mask) on Wednesdays from 3:00 - 3:45pm.
Gentle movement. Supportive community. Care for body and mind. 💙
02/11/2026
A Fond Farewell 💚
We extend our heartfelt thanks to Paula Abowd, LAc, RN, MQT for her dedicated service to Cancer Support Sonoma. Through her healing acupuncture work and the QiGong classes she led, Paula brought compassion, deep care, and thoughtful attention to every client she served.
She will be truly missed, and we wish her all the very best in her next chapter.
Thank you, Paula! 🌿
02/11/2026
Join us at Cancer Support Sonoma (CSS) on February 26th for an informed and supportive discussion on nutrition for those facing a cancer diagnosis 💙
Allison McKeany, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian with over 13 years of experience working in community, hospital, and outpatient settings. She brings a patient-centered, compassionate approach—helping individuals and their loved ones navigate nutrition in ways that are realistic, achievable, and sustainable.
Allison will create an approachable, collaborative space to explore trusted ways to feed and fuel yourself during and after cancer treatment—no judgment, just practical guidance and support.
🗓 Thursday, February 26
⏰ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
📍 Cancer Support Sonoma (CSS)
💲 No charge (registration required)
This session is open to anyone seeking clarity, confidence, and community around nutrition and cancer care.
Thank you to Dr. Patricia Brooks for her dedicated service to Cancer Support Sonoma clients! 💙
Patricia brought both warmth and wisdom to our support groups, offering thoughtful, steady guidance to those facing a cancer diagnosis. Her therapeutic expertise and compassionate presence have made a meaningful difference in the lives of so many.
As she turns her focus toward her private practice, we wish her all the best. She will be truly missed, and we are deeply grateful for the care and support she shared with our community. ✨
01/11/2026
🎉 Save the Date 🎉
Cancer Support Sonoma is thrilled to announce WigOut Sonoma! 2026
Join us on Thursday, September 17, 2026, as we gather once again at the stunning whirlpool bath Family Vineyards for an unforgettable evening in support of those facing cancer. You don't want to miss this year's party with a purpose!
More details coming—stay tuned!
whirlpool bath Wines
01/08/2026
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Danielle M. Schwaderer Kettler as she steps off the Board of Directors for Cancer Support Sonoma. 💙
Dr. Danielle’s generous commitment, thoughtful guidance, and steady leadership have made an extraordinary impact on our organization, and her perspective in the boardroom will be truly missed.
Thankfully, this is not goodbye. Dr. Danielle will continue to care for Cancer Support Sonoma clients through naturopathic consultations, and we are deeply grateful for her compassion, expertise, and insight—both in the consultation room and in the boardroom.
Thank you, Dr. Danielle, for all you have given and continue to give to our community. 🌿✨
Sonoma Roots
01/07/2026
We are so grateful to Joelle Smith of Floral Journey for hosting a wonderful afternoon of wreath-making and holiday merriment at Cancer Support Sonoma! 🎄✨
Thanks to Joelle’s generosity, creativity, and community spirit, participants enjoyed making beautiful holiday wreaths—and 20% of the proceeds were donated to Cancer Support Sonoma! We are deeply thankful for the holiday cheer, the sense of community, and the meaningful support this event provided.
Thank you, Joelle, and thank you to everyone who joined us to make the season a little brighter! 💙🌿
01/06/2026
We’re thrilled to welcome Becky Parrinella to the Cancer Support Sonoma family! 💙
Becky joins us as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, bringing more than 30 years of experience in mental health through nonprofit work—including hospice care—and private practice. She has a special focus on supporting military members and their spouses, as well as individuals navigating trauma, grief and loss, and major life changes. Becky is trained in EMDR, stress management and relaxation techniques, family therapy, and gerontology.
Her professional expertise is deeply enriched by personal experience. After her own cancer diagnosis in 2011, support groups and retreats played a vital role in her healing, inspiring her to devote part of her practice to supporting others facing cancer.
Becky will serve as a Support Group Facilitator at Cancer Support Sonoma and will also be available for one-on-one mental health counseling. We are grateful to have her compassion, insight, and lived experience as part of our community. 💫
12/12/2025
🌟 Nominate Cancer Support Sonoma for Nonprofit of the Year! 🌟
The Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Nonprofit of the Year — and we’d be honored if you would consider nominating Cancer Support Sonoma.
With your support, CSS continues to enhance the quality of life in Sonoma Valley by providing vital integrative wellness services to anyone affected by cancer. In 2025, we expanded programs, strengthened community partnerships, and supported more clients than ever — all thanks to people like you.
If you believe in our mission and the impact CSS has in our community, please take a moment to submit a nomination.
🗳️ Nominations are due by Noon on Thursday, December 18.
Thank you for helping us continue this important work for our Valley. 💙
11/30/2025
✨ Season of Giving at Cancer Support Sonoma ✨
As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’re grateful for a remarkable year — and we’re asking for your support to help us continue serving those in our community facing a cancer diagnosis.
In 2025, with your generosity, we:
🌟 Hosted our first-ever Walkathon
🌟 Welcomed a dedicated Client Navigator
🌟 Offered new programs like group Jin Shin Jyutsu, strength & mobility training, and education on medicinal cannabis
🌟 Launched the Susan Lundquist End of Life Doula Project
🌟 Added a Caregivers Support Group, Sound Healing, and seven new practitioners
As the only integrative cancer-support clinic in Sonoma Valley, we rely on your gifts to ensure every client receives care — regardless of their ability to pay.
Your support makes a real impact:
💛 $3,000 = 30 massages
💛 $2,000 = 20 acupuncture sessions
💛 $1,000 = 10 therapy sessions
💛 $600 = 6 hrs doula care
💛 $500 = 7 oncology yoga classes
💛 $100 = 1 naturopathic session
Please consider a year-end gift to help us continue this healing work.
Thank you for supporting our community. 💛
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Cancer Support Sonoma helps people with cancer find support and improve their quality of life.
Launched under a partnership between the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation and The North Bay Cancer Alliance, and funded as a research study, CSS is the only oncology program in the Sonoma Valley. Services are available to anyone in the valley and surrounding areas who has (or had) cancer, from diagnosis throughout treatment and into recovery.
In October 2017, when the Cancer Support Sonoma study came to an end, we had a choice to make: close our doors or find new funding sources and a new home and continue to provide services.
The feedback from patients and a glimpse at study results told us our work has made a significant difference in the lives of those we serve. The request from patients and providers was heartfelt and unanimous – “Please keep Cancer Support Sonoma going.” So, of course, we chose option 2!
Reinventing Cancer Support Sonoma
Having to pause the program while we regrouped left us with a full roster of patients, some with advanced stages of cancer. Our patients had come to depend on their weekly visits to the third floor at SVH, which some described as a “healing oasis.”
They looked forward to receiving hands-on care from providers who have extensive experience in treating the physical and emotional side effects of chemotherapy, surgery and/or radiation. As a frequent recipient of our services said, “This is the only place that I don’t have to be the breast cancer warrior queen!”
Finding Funding
To help us get started, CSS received a patient donation and a small grant from To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation. Sonoma chiropractor Dr. Eliot Carter generously offered temporary office space located down the street from the hospital. Former Program Director Pam Koppel set about establishing a not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization and seeking new funding sources so Cancer Support Sonoma could operate on its own. Over 2018, we found a clinical space, established a Board of Directors, and hosted our first fundraising event (Our 2018 Holiday Open House and Silent Auction.)
We are now providing critical integrative oncology services 2-3 days a week at our home at 246 Perkins Street in Sonoma, CA 95476.
In addition to our dedicated staff and providers, CSS will depend on generous volunteers and donations from the community. You can learn more about donating at our website www.cancersupportsonoma.org.
