Survivors Helping Survivors
- A group of seven California-based breast cancer survivors are doing their part to help women who have lost their breasts as a result of the disease.
- The Sisterhood of the Boobless Wonders is a powerful thing; it's breast cancer survivors supporting breast cancer patients and fellow survivors.
- The support from family, friends or even those who understand what you're going through, like the women of the Sisterhood, is what's going to get you through.
It all started about 15 years ago when Pat Anderson, now 89, from Escondido, Calif., lost her breasts to cancer when she was 74 years old. She had a mastectomy (surgery to remove the breast), and during her recovery, she was given a pair of silicone prosthetic forms to wear inside her bra. However, they didn't fit her well.
Read MoreShe's also brought in reinforcements over the years and started the Sisterhood of the Boobless Wonders.
"They must be breast cancer survivors in order to be part of a team that is making a really significant difference in other women's lives," Anderson told the newspaper. "When we are working on Busters, our entire mental, physical and emotional energy is focused on the project and we transfer that energy to the project through our hands."
The Sisterhood of the Boobless Wonders which includes Anderson, Pat Moller, Jan Rillie, Pat Hamada, Ann Hornby, Bobbie Weiss and K.J. Koljonen is a powerful thing; it's breast cancer survivors supporting breast cancer patients and fellow survivors.
Together, over the last five years, they've knitted, and given away, about 2,500 Busters to women in need.
"This is the culmination of all those 50 years that I spent working toward this," she said. "It feels awfully good to see that this particular project, which is the most important one I've ever done, has made such a difference to so many people."
If you'd like to order Busters for yourself or someone you know, email Anderson at [email protected].
Cancer Warriors Supporting Cancer Warriors
Cancer warriors supporting fellow cancer warriors is a powerful thing. And having breast cancer is almost like a sisterhood (i.e. the group’s name, no pun intended) one no one wants to be part of, but that only makes the bond stronger.
The support from family, friends or even those who understand what you're going through, like the women of the Sisterhood of the Boobless Wonders, is what's going to get you through.
This is something fellow cancer survivor Kelly Sargent can agree with. She moved to San Antonio, Texas, not knowing anyone, but she says she's been "blessed with having met some incredible ladies."
The Benefit of Support Networks for Cancer Patients
"When I was diagnosed (with ovarian cancer), as soon as I got in the hospital, I started going online to find not only information, but also support groups, stories from survivors, anything that I could find as far as my treatment I definitely looked for," she previously told SurvivorNet.
"I have an incredible set of friends that I met after my diagnosis through a Bible study group that have become very, very close friends of mine that are an incredible part of my support system. That support from those ladies has been life-changing for me."
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