If you are a survivor, do you remember what you felt when you were diagnosed and how you felt going through all of your treatments and surgeries? I know I do, vividly!
I want to discuss with you how you can help other breast cancer patients that are undergoing treatment. If you are a patient yourself then you can find out what you can do once you are a survivor yourself and are through with your treatments. Actually, you don't have to be done with your care to help another. Some people are stronger than others and can be undergoing treatment to cure themselves and still be a mentor to another that might not be so strong.
When I was diagnosed, sure I had wonderful friends and family, but not one person to talk to that had actually lived it. Halfway through my treatment I found an online support group. That helped me tremendously! Sometimes I got the sympathy I wanted and other times I realized that there is someone else worse than me, which almost always is the case. That made me want to fight harder, quit acting like a sissy and muscle up and beat this creature.
What made me think about writing this article was that I found out just last week that a lady I know that lives in the same town as I was just diagnosed with breast cancer. We aren't what you would call best friends, but we've known each other for quite a while. When I found out about her cancer the first thing that popped into my head was not "That's terrible" or "I feel sorry for her." What did pop into my head was "How can I help her? I need to call her and let her know I'm here for her."
A day later I found myself on the phone with a close friend of hers. She had called me. I was so glad that she had called me. She asked about my cancer and wasn't real clear on the type of cancer her friend had but thought it to be similar. She told me she had spoken with the husband and that he really wanted for him and her to get together with my husband and I. They wanted to get a feel on what we went through, how we handled it or just to compare. What crossed my mind was first thing is they want to know are they feeling what would be considered normal feelings. Although this meeting has not taken place yet, she and I did speak on the phone. She drilled me about everything I had experienced. By the time we got off the phone she told me that she felt much better after talking with someone that had actually lived it rather than just nurses or doctors or reading someone's success story. What made that difference is that I was living, breathing proof that you can survive it.
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