NEW Breast Cancer Support Group in Utah County... Sister Survivors

For anyone who still reads this blog (sorry about the lack of posting), here is the new blog for our breast cancer support group... Sister Survivors (it's what I've been working on instead of this blog):

SisterSurvivors

That blog is updated daily - Monday through Saturday. Here is the schedule...

Monday Memoirs - writing through cancer is very therapeutic. Each Monday we'll post a question for you to think and write about. So, grab a beautiful journal and a pretty pen, and let your thoughts spill out.

Tuesday Tidings - we all want to know the "latest" news on the breast cancer front. On Tuesdays, we'll post something about research and development, or things you can do to stay healthy, or even just suggestions for getting through treatment.

Wordless Wednesday - the posts on Wednesdays will be photos. What inspires you? A cancer patient's smile, a beautiful summer morning, a new nail polish color? We'll find a picture of something beautiful to look at, and give you a treat every Wednesday morning. Want to add to the fun? Email a photo to us at sistersurvivors@gmail.com

Thursday Thoughts - This will be a day for sharing our thoughts about cancer, strength, faith, sisterhood... anything that gets us thinking and will help others. We'd love to hear your thoughts about the post, so speak up in the comments section.

Friday Fare - This is our healthy recipe day - guest blogger, Shannon Stahura, will share a yummy recipe with us each week. Shannon does a lot of research to find the best, most healthy foods to use in these recipes.

Saturday Strength - Physical exercise is so important in reaching and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Exercise is also important in healing. Look for an exercise tip here each Saturday.

It is my hope that this blog will become a place where breast cancer survivors can come together, learn things, and discuss things. I'm hoping to figure out how to put a discussion feature on the blog soon.

The new survivor group is going well, I think. We've had two meetings so far. We've had about 31 survivors show up to these meetings. After all the hard work we've done to get this up and running, it's nice to see that it will be of some benefit to others. I love the other two survivors on the board - Bethanie Newby and Colette Harris. I hope you'll take a minute to visit the group's blog.

Have a great day.

New Breast Cancer Support Group

Yesterday I went to the first meeting of a breast cancer support group that my plastic surgeon is forming. It was a nice surprise to meet another BC survivor - Collette. I talked to her before her reconstruction a few week ago. I didn't know she was going to be there, and so it was fun to meet her. She looks great. I remember seeing another patient in Dr. B's office after her reconstruction (before mine), and I couldn't believe how well she was doing just 5 days after the surgery. Really, you wouldn't think that you'd feel ok that soon after having your chest cut open, but compared to the mastectomy, the reconstruction wasn't that bad.

Anyway, I digress. We talked about what name we wanted for the group, what our goals are going to be, where we can meet, how to get everything done, etc. It was so exciting. I've been looking for a way to "give back" to those who helped me, and to make a difference and help other women going through breast cancer. This is it! When I told Rick about it, he wasn't quite as excited as me - he knows how busy I am, and doesn't think I can add anything else to my schedule. But, it will be ok. This is important to me. After I told him everything we had discussed at the meeting, he seemed happy that I had found what I've been looking for.

I'm especially excited about the mentoring program we talked about, and the blog we are planning. That's what I'd love to work on.

As soon as everything is set up, I'll let you know. It's mostly for women here in Utah County, but the blog/website will be for anyone. If you have any suggestions for information to put on the blog, let me know.