The Oracle of Atlanta

According to Wikipedia, an oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion.

That's the best way I can describe Emory social worker Jean Rowe after her presentation at the Young Survivor's Conference. The Sunday morning workshop was titled: Advanced Breast Cancer: Living in the Moment to Live Fully Every Day.

I'll admit I was a little nervous about attending, unsure if I would be invading a "safe space" for women with metastatic disease. But as I was guest blogging for CureToday.com, I felt a responsibility to make sure these women and this aspect of the conference were included. 

Oncology social workers have an huge amount of ground to cover. Rowe presented information ranging from the practical to the spiritual. While some of her suggestions were specific to advanced breast cancer, others are useful for anyone facing a medical crisis.

Rowe says that stage four women are put in a managerial position, where the patient develops an intimate relationship with cancer. She made some practical suggestions about when to consider going on disability, and encouraged the audience to see the move as an opportunity to set new goals.

The social worker points out that living fully may mean,"breaking the mold," and suggested that,"Even a tiny step towards acceptance does not mean defeat, it is healing." She emphasized that late stage cancer patients have a right to hope, and suggested shifting thinking from, "What do I do now?" to, "What do I want to do?"

One option Rowe suggested was seeking "Wow!" experiences, and mentioned the wish trips offered by the Jack and Jill Late Stage Cancer Foundation . 

Rowe believes that self, soul, and heart all make up the true essence of who we are. To help the audience move closer to that realization, she had participants quickly write down a list of life goals, and then read them out loud to the room. 

I'll leave you with a sample of what the women in Atlanta hope to achieve.

Adopt a baby

Have a book published

Go to Hawaii

Renew wedding vows

Be on Good Morning America
 

Have 1,000 members on a "Race for the Cure" team

Go to a High School prom

Learn how to dance hip-hop

Have sex more often

Have a celebration of life party

On a personal note, I hope all these ladies' dreams, and many more come true.


Suzanne


Jean Rowe, LCSW is a medical oncology social worker at Emory Winship Cancer Institute and holds a 17-year career as a paralegal. She provides counseling and support to people with brain tumors, breast cancer, gynecologic cancer and melanoma. Ms. Rowe also facilitates groups for young women with breast cancer and women with metastatic breast cancer. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Georgia Social Work Oncology Group, and is active in the Association of Oncology Social Workers.

Oh Canada!

Hats off to our Canadian friends from Rethink Breast Cancer, not only did they attend YSC, they handed out some very cool hot pink notebooks, and got to see their country win hockey gold on the way home on the last day of the Olympics.
On top of that they have a pretty sharp blog with video! 
http://rethinkbreastcancer.blogspot.com/
photo from Answers.com

Losing a breast changes your life...getting it back is life changing.

I had the opportunity to chat with a remarkable woman at the YSC Conference. Her name is Alisa Savoretti and she is a breast cancer survivor with a mission. Like most survivors, Alisa's life was forever changed after her diagnosis. She heard the words "you have breast cancer" at age 38, while working as a Las Vegas Showgirl without medical insurance. -Deb

Alisa gained media attention, billing herself as "the Lop-sided Showgirl". She returned to work as a dancer only 5 months after finishing chemo, minus one boob. 2 years later, she had reconstruction. This quote from Alisa says it all..."I realized how my own self-esteem, confidence and self worth as a woman returned when I could look in the mirror and see my whole physical self once again - it was my healing, a rebirth and a godsend."

Her own personal experience prompted her to found My Hope Chest. MHC is a non-profit organization that provides the funding for reconstructive surgery to women who have survived breast cancer but are lacking insurance or the financial means to gain their desired reconstruction.

There is currently a waiting list of worthy women hoping to undergo reconstructive surgery. To find out how you can help, to make a donation or to fill out a patient application, please visit www.myhopechest.org. If you're on facebook, help spread the word by becoming a fan and sharing My Hope Chest's story. I did this morning. It's grassroots foundations like MHC that can truly help to make a difference in the quality of life of others.

Food Court Flashback

I had quite a flashback to the weekend before I was diagnosed, on the way home from the Young Survivor's Conference.
It's the subject of this guest blog on curetoday.com.
http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/blog.showIndex/guest/2010/3/2/Going-home--again

Finding your way to a fulfilling future

It was the moment I was waiting for. My oncologist said, "You are healthy," and returned to his desk to make notes on my chart. 

But after completing breast cancer treatment, few women feel like going out dancing. We are more like long distance runners who stumble across the finish line, except with no medals or ribbons. We may have aches and pains, lingering side effects, doubts, fears, and bills. The adrenaline that got us though surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation is no longer there. We are facing the next phase of our lives, stripped of the structure that got us here.

During a Saturday morning presentation at the Young Survivor's Conference in Atlanta, the director of the National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Survivorship program mapped out the steps for planning our futures.

Dr. Julia H. Rowland points out that many suvivors find themselves facing a paradox. When treatment is complete, friends and family want the patient's pre-cancer persona to return. But this can create a confusing and upsetting situation. She says survivors need to explain the recovery process to the people in their lives, a journey that for most women takes about the same amount of time as active treatment.

The National Cancer Institute suggests this recovery should start start with a written treatment summary and follow up care plan, that includes an assessment of any physical pain or cognitive problems, as well as a strategy for primary and preventative care.

Rowland implored the audience to be active participants in their medical care, and suggested that this approach is the key to creating a good quality of life.

Along with familiar suggestions like exercise and nutrition, Rowland suggests our philosophy may be a vital tool. She emphasized the importance of telling our stories, and expressing our creative energy, though activities like writing, art, and even gardening. She believes that after our experience with cancer, new possibilities will emerge, and encouraged young survivors to,"Live at the edge."

Rowland adds that a support system is key to personal growth after the trauma of cancer, and suggests that it is possible to find a benefit to our experience. She says that cancer survivors can emerge with increased self esteem and a sense of mastery, and encouraged the audience to see our futures as rich with potential. 

As I re-read my notes on Rowland's presentation, it occurs to me that it was a bit like listening to a commencement speech, and perhaps that is what we needed. We have been though the tests and trials, now we are ready to graduate.

Suzanne

For more information on cancer recovery call the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-FOR-CANCER and ask for the booklet titled,"FACING FORWARD: LIFE AFTER CANCER TREATMENT."

Julia H. Rowland, Ph.D. is director of the National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Survivorship and a long-time clinician, researcher and teacher in the psychosocial aspects of cancer. She has written extensively about women's reactions to breast cancer, as well as on the roles of coping, social support and development during treatment for cancer. Dr. Rowland was the first director of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Post-Treatment Resource Program, an innovative resource center providing a full range of non-medical services to patients and their families after the end of treatment. Since joining the NCI, Dr. Rowland has created numerous partnerships to advance public awareness about the needs of survivors with other federal and non-governmental agencies.

You can't be everywhere at once!

Which is why I am so glad to stumble across this blog post about one of the sessions I missed.
http://www.tamiboehmer.com/2010/03/oh-the-places-youll-go-ysc-conference-enquirer-article/

Bouncing Bison Bumps Breast Cancer Conference

First of all, thank you very much to Living Beyond Breast Cancer for linking to my CureToday.com guest post.
http://livingbeyondbc.wordpress.com/

I got to pay a visit to the press room at the YSC which was pretty quiet, due in part to reporters being diverted to the story below.

I now have a new appreciation for how frustrating it must be for an organization to have your event pushed off of the media's radar by a random occurence.

Hopefully next year, for everyone's sake, the wildlife will co-operate and stay put.
Suzanne

Bison falls from truck, snarls Atlanta interstate

(AP) – 2 days ago

ATLANTA — A bison fell from a trailer on I-20 east of Atlanta Friday, snarling traffic a little more than a week after an escaped zebra caused a similar snafu on an area highway.

Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Erica Fatima says the bison incident happened Friday afternoon, shortly before rush hour. The animal was struck by a vehicle and injured.

Police say the motorist who was transporting the animal remained on the scene. Fatima says police "had to put the bison down" due to its injuries.

It's unclear why the animal was being transported.

Last week a zebra bolted from its trainer with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, dashing through downtown for 40 minutes before being captured along Interstate 75. It suffered minor injuries.

Livestrong at YSC

Very nice post from a Livestrong staffer about her time at YSC.
I will admit, Saturday night, I missed the symbolism in the chicken dance!
http://livestrongblog.org/2010/03/01/sisters-in-diagnosis/