Lindsey Morris
Many health complications can arise in cancer patients throughout their treatment journey, as their bodies are taking on a lot of stress. It can become easy for patients to become malnourished, especially if they are experiencing nausea, lack of appetite, or have had surgeries that make eating more difficult or painful.
“Patients who undergo major surgeries, such as free flaps and mastectomies, have large surgical wounds that require a long time to heal. This healing can be complicated by poor nutritional status,” said Amanda Reiter, an Outpatient Oncology Registered Dietitian at the Georgia Cancer Center and Wellstar MCG Health.
Reiter knew that her patients needed more than just an improved diet to get the nutrients that they needed and turned to different types of supplements for help. This research led her to Juven, a supplement that is scientifically formulated with key nutrients, such as Arginine and Glutamine, to help support wound healing. It comes in a packet form that patients mix with a glass of water or juice.
“Juven has been shown to be quite effective; however, it is very pricey and requires the patient to consume it twice daily for several weeks until the wound is healed. Unfortunately, with other medical expenses during cancer, many patients are unable to afford this out of pocket. I wanted to make this product easily accessible to patients in need here at the Georgia Cancer Center.”
Reiter turned to Unite in the Fight Against Cancer to help cover the cost. Unite is an annual free community celebration honoring all who have been affected by this disease, while raising funds for patient-centered programs. Unite 2025 funded nine programs to improve the lives of our patients and staff here in our community, including Reiter’s program.
“Providing this product free of charge takes that financial burden off our patients, and it wouldn’t have been possible without Unite. With their help, we’ve been able to provide additional and necessary nutritional care these past few years that our patients would have otherwise had to go without.”
If you would like to learn more about this program, follow us on Facebook to be kept up to date on it and the other programs funded by Unite in the Fight Against Cancer. Unite in the Fight Against Cancer will be held on May 2, 2026, and we encourage you to join us at this free and fun event. They will be a kids zone, live dj, special guests, and our patient VIP room. You can find more information by visiting our website and Facebook event page. We encourage all to join us in support of all who fight against cancer every day.
Chris Curry