Finding Support

Last evening I attended my first Breast Cancer Support Group. I was not enthusiastic about going, and I'm not certain yet how I feel about it, but I do see the value of this type of interaction.

There are support groups for all sorts of conditions, circumstances and places in which people find themselves. When my first child was born, I joined Las Madres, which is really a support group for new parents. Through that group, I met amazing women and made wonderful, lifelong friends; friends who are supporting me today as I deal with cancer.

In this case, the support group is very specifically focused on this one type of cancer. The group dealt with where everyone is in their course of treatment, and more importantly, provided a safe and caring atmosphere in which to express fears, hopes and challenges that dealing with breast cancer brings to life.

I learned last night that talking about breast cancer is very different when you are talking to women who also have breast cancer. Friends, family and colleagues are wonderful sources of support, but there seems to be a different quality and depth to a conversation among a group who all have the same cancer. There is a level of vulnerability, and of humor, that gives texture and body to the words and emotions that goes far beyond sympathy or even empathy; it is a knowing.

I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to share in this way on a regular basis. But it is helpful to know that the option is there.