ELLSWORTH, Maine — October is designated internationally as a time to raise awareness about breast cancer.
With the start of the month, groups around Maine are working to make sure all survivors, whether in treatment or recovery, have the support they need -- a lot of which comes from fellow cancer survivors.
This year, the Beth C. Wright Cancer Resource Center in Ellsworth has started a new program to bring support groups into survivors' homes via the Internet or phone. Survivors can access the meetings by telephone, tablet, computer, or smartphone.
The sessions take place every two weeks over the course of 12 weeks. They are held from 5:45 p.m. to 7 p.m., so people are typically available after getting home from work, according to the Center's director, Michael Raisman.
"When people were at the treatment center, they were getting pretty good treatment," Raisman explained to NEWS CENTER Maine, "But when they went home, there were a lot of things they were facing that they were not getting."
Issues like long drives in more rural parts of the state, or exhaustion from cancer treatments, can sometimes deter people from going to a support group, Raisman added. That's why the Center decided to take on the initiative, inviting 12 people to join per session -- and as of Tuesday afternoon, they still have room available for people in Washington and Hancock counties.
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"You'd be surprised once you are part of a support group how easy it is to kind of talk about your experiences," says Michelle Allen, a breast cancer survivor, who frequents Bangor Region YMCA Caring Connections.
For Allen, a group setting helps her deal with stress and anxiety about the possibility of the cancer coming back.
"In active treatment, you really have your eye on the goal of getting through it," adds Allen. "They call it a fight for a reason, and then you get through that, and then you have this kind of transitional phase."
It's a phase that Stephanie McLeod-Estevez knows all too well -- which is why she decided to lead the Center's virtual support group. McLeod-Estevez is also a breast cancer survivor and runs a blog called "Creative Transformations", which focuses on emotional health and wellness.
"Working with other cancer survivors myself has been...in many regards, life changing," McLeod-Estevez says. "Even if my story is different from yours, we've walked the walk, and we've been there together."
The Center's new program was made possible by a one-year, $9,800 award from the Maine Cancer Foundation.