Been there, done that - Reach to Recovery offers breast cancer support from the survivors

Women that have actually faced breast cancer can better understand and relate to a newly diagnosed breast cancer patient. That logic is fundamental to the American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery program. Any illness or trying situation is easier to get through when you have the support of someone that has already ‘been there and done that’.

ACS program coordinator, Cheryl Shaver, is proud to be a part of Reach to Recovery and wants area women to know what the program offers.

“Reach to Recovery is a one-to-one support for a woman facing breast cancer,” Shaver explained. “Reach is a program sponsored through the American Cancer Society. To become a Reach volunteer, you have to have had breast cancer yourself and go through the Reach training.”

According to Shaver, every Reach to Recovery volunteer must be recertified every two years. This provides newly diagnosed patients the best assistance and a great deal of hope.

“When a visit or phone call is made to a patient, we tell them that we are survivors and with that, it gives them hope,” Shaver said. “It also gives them the opportunity to talk to someone that has gone through what they are experiencing, we have been there and know how they feel. It helps when you realize that you are not alone in the fight.”

The program currently has approximately 20 volunteers including nine Amish women in Holmes County. These nine are the only Amish Reach to Recovery volunteers in the entire United States.

Shaver became involved with the program one year after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“I always felt that there was a reason I had breast cancer at the age of 37,” Shaver shared. “When a Reach volunteer came to see me I knew immediately that I needed to go out and help others through this fight. I have been a Reach volunteer for 24 years now and am the coordinator of Wayne and Holmes County. I am also a trainer for new volunteers.”

Being a volunteer is a great way to give hope and encouragement to others facing the same fight. Having an experienced individual to mentor you through a fight with cancer is helpful because patients see someone that is making it and it gives them hope and faith that they too, can fight the fight.

If anyone is interested in the Reach to Recovery program, they may contact the American Cancer Society call center at 888-227-6446. According to Shaver, many local surgeons also contact her directly when a patient needs a call or sometimes, she receives referrals from the Patient Navigator program as well.

“In addition to Reach to Recovery, I also facilitate a breast cancer support group in Holmes County,” Shaver added. “We meet the second Monday night of every month, September through May, 7-9 p.m. at St. John’s Church in Millersburg (next to Alexander’s Funeral Home); 8670 state Route 39, Millersburg. There is also a Wayne County support group that meets at the Wooster Community Hospital on the second Tuesday of each month.”

For more information on either of these two support groups or one of the many groups being held in neighboring counties, contact the American Cancer Society call center at the above number.

“Support groups are very powerful,” Shaver said. “We are there to support each other. We don’t always talk about cancer, sometimes it is nice to forget for a few minutes and have some fun. Our group is made up of different ages; different kinds of breast cancer and treatments; I have a large Amish group that attends also. The Amish women are very open and very helpful. We are all survivors that want our lives to be as normal as possible. Once I invited a young lady who was 23 years old that had been diagnosed with breast cancer, to our group. We all introduced ourselves and told her the number of weeks or years we had survived; the survival range was from two weeks to 25 years. I could see in her eyes that she had hope that she too would survive. I then told her she could ask any questions she had and that we would answer them to the best of our ability. When she left, she told me that she felt empowered by the support and hope we had given to her. Her fear was greatly reduced because of the answers and support she received.”

Shaver is also a board certified mastectomy fitter at Wayne Health Services in Wooster and fits women with bras and prosthesis after they have surgery. “I really enjoy my work with breast cancer patients,” she said. “I’m sorry that we have to meet under those circumstances, but I am glad that I can be there for them.”