Don’t Paint Them All With The Same Pink Brush:
People dealing with breast cancer have different needs.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women, excluding skin cancer, according to the Canadian Cancer society. In 2009 an estimated 22,700 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. It’s an alarming number, to be sure, but what it doesn’t capture is that breast cancer is not just one disease.
First of all, there are different types of breast cancer, for example ductal carcinoma, lobular carcinoma, Paget’s disease and inflammatory breast cancer to name a few. Each type of breast cancer can be further subdivided and described in terms of the structural and genetic characteristics of the tumors, and whether they stay in the breast tissue or spread to other parts of the body.
Doctors can manage the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. But when a woman is living with the disease, she may have additional needs for support, and she may want to further empower herself by educating herself about breast cancer. These needs can sometimes fall through the cracks in the medical system. And these women may have to find their own sources of support.
The good news is that there are resources available across Canada to address these needs. And a good place to start to get connected to these resources is a non-profit advocacy group called Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada (http://www.willow.org).
Willow will be able to connect you with supportive and educational services across Canada. If there isn’t a support group in your area, Willow will help you set one up, and give you the training to lead it. And perhaps the best part – Willow does all of its work free of charge.
Now there are also women who have special needs because their lives are affected by breast cancer in ways that most of us wouldn’t think of. For the women with advanced breast cancer that has spread, they may not be well enough to get out and find support services. And they may need specialized psychological supports as they deal with end of life issues. On the other side of the spectrum, there are women who don’t have breast cancer, but who are at high risk because of genetic risk factors. These women may be living in fear of the disease, and could benefit from additional supports.
Willow has made these underserved groups of women a priority. Willow has created online resources for those with mobility issues. And Willow has also piloted a special support group in Toronto for “pre-vivors” – healthy women at high risk for breast cancer.
The bottom line is that the more you know about breast cancer, the more you can empower yourself to work with your medical team to fight the disease. And you don’t have to do it alone – there are supports out there for you.
To get in touch with Willow Breast Cancer Support Canada, or to get a free copy of their new book called “Be Breast Aware”, go to their website, http://www.willow.org or call them at 1-888-778-3100 (416-778-5000 in Toronto)
To access Willow’s online community, go to http://www.willow-talk.org
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Dr. Karl’s TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
1. The term “breast cancer” encompasses a variety of diseases
2. People are affected by breast cancer in different ways and therefore they have different needs
3. There are many resources available to empower you with knowledge about breast cancer, and to provide you with the supports you need – take advantage of them.
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