Breast cancer warriors, survivors need to talk to each other

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Adult education cosmetology lead instructor Tammie Habenar demonstrates hat, scarf and turban styles on Nancy Lutes Sept. 21 during the Look Good ... Feel Better class for women with cancer sponsored by the American Cancer Society at Warren County Career Center in Lebanon.

Staff photo by Nick Graham Adult education cosmetology lead instructor Tammie Habenar demonstrates hat, scarf and turban styles on Nancy Lutes Sept. 21 during the Look Good ... Feel Better class for women with cancer sponsored by the American Cancer Society at Warren County Career Center in Lebanon.

By Meagan Engle, Staff Writer Updated 11:54 AM Friday, October 23, 2009

When Dee Markle had surgery to remove a lump from her breast nearly 22 years ago, she had the support of her family, her friends and her church.

Her minister was with her the morning of her surgery, and members of her church and family made dinner for her every night.

But there was no place in her town where she could talk to other breast cancer survivors.

“I was young and I really knew nothing about breast cancer, and nobody really talked about breast cancer then,” Markle said from her Madison Twp. home.

Today, Markle leads a support group that meets monthly in Middletown for women at all stages of breast cancer treatment and recovery.

Although breast cancer is much talked about today and the Internet offers a wealth of informational resources for patients, support groups like Markle’s provide a place, a “sisterhood,” for women to encourage each other.

“We’re not doctors, we’re not nurses. We’re just women who have been where a patient is right now,” Markle said.

For Nannette Cory of Mason, the American Cancer Society’s Look Good ... Feel Better program offered makeup and hair tips that she wouldn’t be able to get from a doctor or nurse.

Cory said chemotherapy gave her ruddy, dry skin and caused her to lose her hair, eyelashes and part of her eyebrows.

“When you’re first diagnosed, you’re overwhelmed,” Cory said. “I’m at the point that I’m losing a lot of the features I love.”

Support groups also can help people battling cancer deal with the loss of control, loss of hope and loss of connection, said Bonnie Crawford of the Wellness Community, a facility in Blue Ash.

The Blue Ash group creates a community for people with cancer and their families through support groups, cooking classes, yoga and other free activities.

The Wellness Community is planning to offer events and groups in Butler County — an area Crawford said is growing fast in oncologists and people diagnosed with cancer.

“Our participants share wisdom, not advice. We don’t do the ‘you should’s’ here. People connect with other survivors and they learn,” Crawford said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2551 or mengle@coxohio.com.

Local support groups

The Fort Hamilton Hospital holds a general support group that meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every third Monday of the month. In October, the hospital is hosting a guest speaker for Breast Cancer Awareness every Monday from 6 to 8 p.m.

A breast cancer support group meets the first Tuesday of every month from 7 to 8 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Middletown.

A prostate cancer support group meets the first Tuesday of every month from 7 to 8 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Middletown.

The Wellness Community in Blue Ash has a newcomer orientation at 6:30 p.m. every Tuesday and at 10 a.m. every Wednesday.

Look Good... Feel Better will be held in Butler County Nov. 16 at the Mercy Health and Wellness Center in Fairfield. To register, call the American Cancer Society at (800) 227-2345.

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I am not PC. But as a bc patient I feel like this month is one protracted PTSD episode with lots of 'do-gooders' who want to intrude and help you deal. I witnessed a woman proud to have a bc tattoo. What is this? I do not identify with my illness. I live beyond, around and through it. BC does not define me. My life defines me, the joys of parenting & being a spouse the integrity that comes from a good days work or the beauty of my garden. These are the things I live for & how I define myself.

Titanthebear
1:19 PM, 10/23/2009

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I appreciate the awareness brought to breast cancer, but we need to shine a spotlight on ovarian cancer as well. It is called the "cancer that whispers" since many of the symptoms are associated with other conditions. This is the type of cancer that claimed my mother.

Please educate yourself & your loved ones about the signs of ovarian cancer. Here is a good place to start:

www.cancerschmancer.org

K
11:57 AM, 10/23/2009

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