A friendly shoulder to lean on as well as a sympathetic and receptive ear to share personal stories with can go a long way towards helping alleviate the stress of being diagnosed with cancer while providing hope for a brighter tomorrow.
Such support can in turn substantially boost the spirits of a person embarking on the life-altering journey of cancer treatment.
With that knowledge in mind, an informal weekly cancer outreach group was established in Sundre several years ago to help not only cancer patients but also any of their family and friends who might be seeking assistance or comfort from others who know and can relate to what they are going through.
The group meets at 10 a.m. every Tuesday throughout the year at the Sundre Seniors Supportive Living facility’s drop-in centre, which also supplies coffee and muffins.
“They treat us very good there,” said Marg Davis, who serves as a point of contact for people who want to get involved or find out more about the support group. Davis can be reached at 403-638-2505.
Initially launched by Bev Hallett, who works with Peaks to Prairies Primary Care Network, the group has an open door policy to anybody and everybody who is seeking a positive network, said Davis.
“The support group is for anybody. We have members of all ages,” she said.
“Our goal is to reach out to anybody in the community who is enduring cancer, and to help them deal with the stresses that surface as a result,” she said.
There are about a dozen members who regularly attend the meetings.
They include cancer survivors who remained involved following their recovery to share their stories and offer support, as well as guidance to others who have more recently been diagnosed or started treatment. Their stories and experiences are invaluable to help others, she said.
A silver lining tends to be difficult to see when someone is going through such an ordeal, she said, so the support group keeps a focus on staying positive about the potential prospect of recovery. Everyone has a story, and sharing is part of the path to convalescence, she said.
“It’s lighthearted and uplifting. We’re like a tight-knit family — anybody who comes in usually stays with us, so we must be doing something right.”
Such a network develops a camaraderie that is vitally important in providing hope to people who have been diagnosed with cancer or are already enduring treatment, she said, adding that a person’s frame of mind can play a big role along the road to recovery.
“They’re not alone — there are others out there who can help them through this difficult journey. There can be good outcomes.”
New treatment options continue to become available as advancements in research yield life-saving discoveries for certain types of cancer that decades ago were all but guaranteed to be fatal.
“There are more and more recoveries than there was even 10 years ago,” she said.
Sundre’s weekly cancer support group is not tied to any specific organization and is essentially comprised of people who are focused on offering an empathetic outreach to help mindfully manage the symptoms and side effects of cancer treatment, she said.
“We are there to help.”
