Tell us about Lifting Hearts.
The motto of the Lifting Hearts Breast Cancer Support Group is ?Share the Wisdom and the Journey, One Survivor at a Time.? We?re a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support and wellness programs for individuals and families affected by breast cancer.
We focus on four main groups: Recently diagnosed (up to one year), Recovering (one year and beyond), Recurrent, and Relatives (families, friends and others). In our efforts to better help and mentor those who join our group, we provide monthly support meetings, quarterly activities, service projects and a one-on-one mentoring program called Bosom Buddies.
We started out as three breast cancer survivors wanting to put together a support group for other survivors ? something we never had while we went through our treatments. We?ve grown to more than 100 members.
We have meetings that are held on the second Thursday of each month at the law offices of Fillmore Spencer in Provo, Utah (3301 N. University Ave.). We start at 7pm and any breast cancer survivor is welcome. We do different things at these meetings, including having speakers who talk about topics like nutrition, exercise, beauty, Lymphedema, and just learning to cope with cancer emotionally and spiritually. Occasionally, we also have meetings where we just get together to talk. Those are some of our best meetings ? there?s nothing that equals being able to talk to another survivor about your experiences. We?ve taught women how to write about their cancer stories, how to overcome depression and embrace the ?new normal? in their lives.
We feel that to heal completely ? body and mind ? we need to serve others, so we also offer opportunities to survivors to do service projects. We make fleece blankets for patients going through chemo treatments, soft heart-shaped pillows for those who have had surgery or suffer from Lymphedema, and rice warming bags that help with the aches and pains associated with treatments. We also offer a one-on-one mentoring program to patients, with many of our survivors being trained to support those who need help.
We also hold larger activities several times each year and invite the survivors? families. We have an annual Lifting Hearts birthday party to celebrate our group, a family picnic in August, and a Christmas party.
Our blog (www.liftinghearts.blogspot.com) is updated several times each week, with different subjects each day.
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Are there any events you would like to highlight as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month?
Yes!!! On October 20, we?re partnering with seven Walmart stores in the Utah Valley to host the first annual Lifting Hearts in Utah 5K Walk/Run! There will be many other sponsors there, as well as vendors in the park after the walk. To register, go to our website: www.wedidbreastcancer.com. Registration is $35 (adults) and $20 (children 12 and under). Each participant will receive a Lifting Hearts t-shirt and there will be a survivors? ceremony after the walk. We invite everyone to come and be a part of this. Walk in honor of someone you love!
Our other big event in October was our Breast Cancer Awareness Fair at the Fresh Market in American Fork, Utah, which was held on October 13. We sold items made by survivors and numerous other things. There was also a drawing for prizes, and our group spoke about early detection and mammograms. Fresh Market also sold paper ribbons at the registers to help raise funds for our programs.
October is a BIG month for us, and we?ll also be working with Walgreens stores in the area. They?ll also be selling the paper ribbons to raise funds for our group. And, we?ll be offering some awareness fairs at a few of their stores, as well. Information about those will be posted on our website soon.
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Tell us about yourself and how you were inspired to help create this organization.
I mentioned earlier why I became involved in creating Lifting Hearts. I was brought together with two other survivors by one of my surgeons. We worked with him for awhile, and then split off on our own. We felt that a support group for survivors needed to be run exclusively BY survivors. It?s been an exciting road to travel down.
My personal story is full of miracles, and I love to share it. Having a mammogram saved my life. I had a routine mammogram at age 42, four years ago. After finding some tiny white dots against my chest wall, the radiologist ordered another mammogram to get a closer look.
Because of the skill of the technician, we were able to find more of the same white dots. After having a biopsy, I was diagnosed with DCIS ? Ductal Carcinoma In Situ ? which is a non-invasive breast cancer. As the doctors sliced the tissue open, they also found an invasive tumor. The borders weren?t clean, so they did another biopsy ? and found another invasive tumor. My decision for treatment included a bilateral mastectomy, reconstructive surgery and five months of chemo. I remember a conversation I had with my doctor: He said if it wasn?t for the mammogram, we wouldn?t have found the tumors for at least another five years. I?m HER2 positive, so although the tumors were small, they were fast growing. In five years, when the tumors would have grown enough to be found by touch, I would have been in the last stages of breast cancer, and would likely not have survived. I?m the mom of four sons, and this journey has been a good thing for all of us ? it?s taught my children the very real power of service and unconditional love. And, it?s taught me to slow down and enjoy the very simple things in life. I?ve also learned to use my time more wisely ? including devoting some of it to serving others, which is why I?m involved with Lifting Hearts.
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How can people become involved in your organization to help make an impact in the fight against breast cancer?
We love it when people in the community ask to help our group! We always need help with the service projects I mentioned ? making fleece chemo blankets, fleece pillows and rice warming bags. We really appreciate the help we get. Because of the help offered to us, we?ve been able to provide one of the surgeon?s offices with rice warming bags as a gift for every newly diagnosed breast cancer patient it sees ? 20 to 30 per month! Our goal is to branch out to more medical offices and offer the blankets, pillows and rice bags to as many patients as we can. To accomplish that, we need help!
If you?re interested in offering help, please contact Kara @ 801-360-4666 OR Colette @ 801-376-7377. ?We also have many openings for volunteers to make a difference in our group.
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Thank you, Kara! DownEast is honored to assist Lifting Hearts with a grant in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For more information on Lifting Hearts and how you can help, please visit www.wedidbreastcancer.com.
Source: http://www.downeastbasicsblog.com/?p=3545
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