Support – Not Just For Ladies’ Foundationwear
by Heather
Right after being “officially” diagnosed, I hit the search engine looking for a support group. My mom’s insistence that I find one immediately (even before we knew for sure) prompted me to this – see, Mom, I DO listen to you!
I called and/or emailed 2 groups that seemed local, and got no answer and/or “this number has been disconnected” message and bounced email. So I went looking one more time. I found one and called the number… A person actually answered it. I suppose that was my answer. The group isn’t exactly “local”, but “local” doesn’t seem to be working for me in this particular odyssey.
Quite by coincidence, the group I belong to down here was founded by Mom’s surgeon, and is the parent to the group that she belongs to (a day’s drive away) in her rural community.
Attending this BC support group has been beneficial. Besides just being able to vent, it has given me a look at other survivors and also given me the opportunity to show empathy & possibly see into my future. I attend the “Newly Diagnosed and In Treatment” group, and have met 7 women in 7 different situations with their breast cancer. They range from having had a lumpectomy and her oncologist saying she’s “cured”, to having had a bilateral mastectomy and currently going through chemo – bald and tired and sore. Here’s hoping I end up closer to the former than the latter.
My Breast Cancer Journey 
Glad you listened to me! If your group is anything like mine, you’ll find the people there extremely supportive and knowledgeable. And if somebody doesn’t have an answer for you, they’ll find one. I’ve met 30 or 40 women in my group in the last two years, also with a wide-ranging variation of breast cancer types, stages, grades, and treatments, and I’ve learned a lot by listening to their stories, and telling mine.
I also wanted to say, the support group is a place where you can cry or laugh (sometimes both at the same time), vent about your health or even other things in your life, receive comfort and empathy and encouragement. Every woman who volunteers there (in my group) is a breast cancer survivor.
I am glad you listened to your mom – I wish I had gotten involved in a support group!