Being a member of a “club” has never appealed to me. I have always just kind of done my own thing, or as my mother says, I have always “marched to my own drum”. But recently, I have found myself with a group of women in a club that march to their own drums, too. They are funny, honest and supportive of each other, and let’s face it ladies—we don’t always support each other, so this is a refreshing change. These women are all shapes, sizes, ages and color, but they have one thing in common—they are all breast cancer survivors from one day to 30 years!
I first became involved with The Pink Ribbon Club several years ago when, as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society, I was a speaker at one of their meetings. Over the years, I have had the privilege to be asked to attend their meetings for various functions, and I found myself looking forward to seeing them. Even though I am not a survivor, they have accepted me as one of their own. They speak openly to one another, they ask each other questions and compare notes on their treatments and how it has affected them mentally, physically and how it’s effected their families. At every meeting, each one introduces themselves to the group and states how long she has been a survivor (you are a survivor the first day you are diagnosed). At one meeting, a newcomer to the group introduced herself and stated she had just received her last chemo treatment. The others looked at each other and whispered, “How does she still have her hair?” Then, one of them will be telling a story and forget a word, and they all say in unison, “Chemo Brain”, then they laugh and laugh. The organizers of the group and Survivor in Spirit are Angie Roberts and Co-Survivor Debra Guy. They both work with cancer survivors at Christus Cabrini Cancer Treatment Center. The Pink Ribbon Club laughs and celebrates together, embraces new things together, cries together and unfortunately, mourns the loss of fellow members together. But most of all, they support each other just by their presence together. They are the strongest women I have ever met, and every time I have an opportunity to be with them, I take it because being in their presence gives me a feeling of peace and hope. If you are a breast cancer survivor, I highly recommend The Pink Ribbon Club—even if you march to your own drum—because everyone needs a little support every now and then.
The Club meets on the third Thursday of each month at 5:30pm in the Christus Cabrini Cancer Treatment Center. This month, the club will be celebrating its 5th Birthday. Its mission statement is: “Educating ourselves, supporting each other, and being Advocates to the community.” All breast cancer survivors are welcome, regardless of where they have/are receiving cancer treatments. For more information, contact the Christus Cabrini Cancer Treatment Center at (318) 466-6074.
