Cancer. It’s a fact of life that the dreaded C-word in its various forms affects thousands of people each year. When it comes to breast cancer, the stats are sobering:
• 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
• Breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women, except for skin cancers.
• An estimated 2,650 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the U.S.
Despite these numbers, the good news is that we have seen a gradual reduction in breast cancer incidence rates among women aged 50 and older. Also, death ratesfrom breast cancer have been declining since the 1990s, in part due to better screening, early detection, increased awareness and better treatment options.
Additionally, long-time survival ratesafter a diagnosis of breast cancer are steadily rising. As of January 2019, there were more than 3.8 million women with a history of breast cancer living in the United States—this includes more than 150,000 women living with metastatic breast cancer.
It is great news that long-term survival rates are increasing, and breast cancer is becoming a chronic condition rather than a life-threatening illness.
Breast Cancer Survivor Needs
The needs of people living with breast cancer is changing. Psychological and social support are particularly critical. The majority of breast cancer survivors experience at least some psychosocial distress during the course of their breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The most common psychosocial concerns are fear of recurrence; physical symptoms such as fatigue, trouble sleeping or pain; body image disruption; sexual dysfunction; and treatment-related anxieties.
Additionally, marital/partner/family communication, feelings of vulnerability, and existential concerns regarding mortality are common. The level of such concerns varies from woman to woman and over the course of diagnosis and treatment within an individual. The vast majority of women adjust well to the diagnosis, and those concerns dissipate with time. However, for others, such concerns may interfere with comfort, quality of life and the ability to make appropriate treatment decisions and adhere to treatment. When these concerns are often unaddressed, it may take women with breast cancer to the next level of psychological distress.
CSCVVSB’s Cancer Survivorship Program
That’s why Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara is here to support people impacted by breast cancer (along with other types of cancer). All of our programs are at no-cost to people impacted by cancer, thanks to our generous donors and community support.
Our core programs are support groups, healthy lifestyle classes, educational workshops and short-term individual counseling.
All our support groups are facilitated by licensed mental health professionals with extensive training of working with cancer survivors and their families. For the past 30 years, there has been extensive research on the positive effects of support groups as a method of living with cancer, improving quality of life, and, in some studies, even increasing survival. Support groups help reduce the three most significant stressors associated with cancer: unwanted aloneness, loss of control, and loss of hope.
We have four breast cancer support groups, including Early-stage Breast Cancer Groups, Advanced Breast Cancer Group, and Long-term Survivors’ Group. Additionally, we have two Caregivers’ Support Groups and Teens’ Programs because cancer impacts the whole family.
We also offer educational workshops to empower people with knowledge. We invite prominent oncology specialists to cover a variety of topics, such as treatment options, side effect management, nutrition, and anxiety and stress. We will feature Dr. Bahadini and Dr. Shah to discuss “Breast Cancer Prevention, Risk Factors, and Genetics” on Wednesday, October 13th at 12 to 1 p.m. To register, please email programs@cancersupportvvsb.org.
Lastly, let’s not forget about our Healthy Lifestyle Classes. Thanks to generous support from our community volunteers, we offer classes, such as yoga, guided imagery, Qigong and Reiki to help cancer survivors’ recovery and stress reduction. For instance, Sabine Coble and Tori Lund, two instructors from Yoga Jones in Ventura, have been providing wonderful summer and fall yoga classes for our participants!
According to a recent program survey, more than 96% of people said our support groups are Excellent or Good, and 96% said they gained useful information. In addition, 95% said Healthy Lifestyle Classes are Excellent or Good.
Additionally, 96% of survey participants said they have gained useful information to better manage their treatments, 95% said they felt more connected with others, and 90% said they felt more empowered to manage illness. Lastly, 100% said they would recommend CSCVVSB programs to others!
For more information, please visit CancerSupportVVSB.org or call 805.379.4777.
Cancer Support Community Healthy Lifestyle Classes
Q. What classes/types of classes do you offer?
A. We provide light exercise and mind/body connection classes, such as yoga, guided Imagery, Qi Gong and Reiki. Our classes focus on gentle and slow movements so participants from all stages can join the different healthy lifestyle classes.
Q. How many participants take classes each month?
A. On average we have 5 to 15 participants who join each class.
Q. When are the classes offered?
A. Guided Imagery, Qi Gong and Reiki classes are ongoing weekly or monthly classes. We also offer a series of workshops, such as Therapeutic Yoga and Gentle Yoga. These workshop series can meet weekly for a month or two months. We are currently looking for volunteer instructors for Tai Chi and Yoga.
Q. Who teaches the classes and where are they held?
A. The instructors are volunteer certified teachers, many also teach at local gyms. Currently, all the volunteer instructors offer classes online, so people in different areas can participate; in-person classes will also take place again in the future in the Valley, Ventura and Santa Barbara areas.
All services and programs are provided at no charge to participants, thanks to the generosity of corporations, foundations and individuals who believe in our mission.
