For many the holidays are a chance to spend time with family and friends and celebrate the fact that they're in your life. For those recovering from breast cancer, it's a source of love and support they couldn't go without.
"Some friends went with me to the appointment," says breast cancer survivor Amy Johnson, "and I was really glad they volunteered to do that, because I had no idea what I was going to be facing there." From the very moment she received a breast cancer diagnosis, Amy Johnson had someone by her side.
"That was the great thing about having a lot of different kinds of friends, is that you can call different ones for different things. So you weren't always tapping into one or two people so they got so exhausted that they didn't want to hear from you anymore," Amy says with a laugh, "they all kind of share in your experience and give back to you in the best way they could."
Every little bit counts. It's something clinical social worker Beth Boshoven often hears from the women she meets. Working with Munson Medical Center to help breast cancer patients before, after, and during treatment, Boshoven often finds one need that's neglected. "In order for women to fully move through a cancer journey, they have to at sometime address the emotional impact of the cancer," Bohoven says, "So feelings of grief and loss, feelings of isolation. It can be very difficult for women to return to a more normal life after treatment."
It's a support group, like friends and family, that can help create that open environment for healing. "Sometimes just reaching out is a big step for women and treatment," Boshoven says. Reaching out can be difficult, especially if you don't know what you need or how to help, but Amy says she and her loved ones figured it out together. "Basically I would say ask for help," Amy says, "if you're a patient because you are going to need it. What I would say to friends is don't be afraid to go ahead and do something for somebody because they might not even know how to verbalize what they need. So if you pick up on any clues or just go ahead and do what you think is right or appreciated, they'll really appreciate it." Both women also recommend looking into support groups through Munson, such as the Navigator Program.
