Local resources for women with cancer

Today, in the United States, 3.8 million women live with a breast cancer diagnosis as part of their medical history.

While the numbers indicate millions of women are part of the club no one wants to join, being the one in eight can be a lonely place.

Fortunately, the Triangle has some terrific resources to offer support to moms who find themselves facing a cancer diagnosis.

This list isn’t all-inclusive, but it’s a great starting place if you or a woman you know is diagnosed with any type of cancer. For additional resources, reach out to your treatment center to see what on-site support they provide patients.

“We provide immediate support to mothers fighting cancer,” explained Susan Bowers, executive director for the Helene Foundation. “We work with each family to find out what will make the mom’s life easier so she can focus on her health and well-being, and so she can spend time with her kids.”

The services provided by the Helene Foundation can vary depending on the needs of the family, from daycare to meals to transportation, the services are customized.

For our family, the Helene Foundation provided biweekly cleaning services, which were an absolute treat for us! The fact that neither my husband nor I had to worry about cleaning the house during chemotherapy or while I was recovering from surgery was such a relief.

Local nonprofit helps moms going through cancer treatments

We also received gas cards from the Helene Foundation to help off-set the cost of gas to and from appointments (because there are a lot of appointments during cancer treatment).

The Helene Foundation was founded in 2009 by Dr. Tracy Davidian, in memory of her mother-in-law, Helene Davidian. Dr. Davidian started the Foundation with the goal of helping just one family whose mom was going through cancer.

“I’m very proud to say that I’ve been setting up services this week for our 262nd family,” said Bowers.

The Foundation offers programming for children ages 4 to 18 who have a parent in cancer treatment.

“Our primary program is KidsCan!, a peer-empathy support program,” foundation executive director Liz McLean said. “It’s geared toward the child’s age group to help them understand cancer, as well as their own feelings and how to express them in a healthy way.”

KidsCan! started at Rex Hospital and is now offered at hospitals throughout the Triangle and into Alamance County.

Recently, the foundation took participants to the N.C. Courage game.

“We offer opportunities for these kids and their families to do fun things,” said McLean. “Just for a moment, they aren’t that family with a sick family member.”

“Our focus is to help women heal - mind, body, and spirit - after their cancer diagnosis,” explained Gmitter, a breast cancer survivor. “There’s an energy that happens amongst women just knowing that other people understand.”

Healing Pines provides groups of women, who are within two years of finishing treatment, time away to focus on their self-care. From yoga classes to spa days to weekends in Pinehurst, the organization guides women to understand life after a diagnosis.

It’s free (and fun!) Personally, I’ve enjoyed a reason to get outside and connect with other women who have been in my shoes.

There are two locations in the Triangle – one in Raleigh, one in Cary.

A diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, also known as stage IV, means that cancer has spread outside of the breast and into other organs of the body. There is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, and the challenges faced by these patients can be very different than the experiences of non-metastatic patients.

Sometimes, you just need a safe place to ask a group of people a question.