Tuesday Club (or T.I.T.T club to be precise) The first Tuesday of each month is very important to me because it’s the night I meet up with a group of girls who have all become friends through experiencing breast cancer. My name is Julie and I am 41 years old. Almost 3 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a traumatic time but as treatment progressed I began to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
It was during my chemotherapy sessions that I heard about some yoga classes that the MacMillan Unit were holding, and, wanting to try everything and anything to get myself well, I went along. It was here that I first met Anne and every Tuesday for about 2 months we attended the classes. Unfortunately, due to poor attendance, these classes were eventually cancelled and it wasn’t until the following year that I bumped into Anne again.
This time, it was at a fashion show held in Halifax to raise awareness of breast cancer. All the models had or had been treated for breast cancer, and each modelled a number of outfits for local shops. We had a fantastic time and at the end of the evening we were buzzing from the excitement of being on the catwalk in front of hundreds of people and we just wanted to do it all again.
A couple of weeks later, all the ‘models’ got together to watch the fashion show video and it was here that we (Anne, myself and a couple of others) got talking about how nice it was to meet other girls our age who had been through the experience of having breast cancer. We agreed we needed some kind of network where we could all keep in touch, maybe like a support group. There were regular sessions held at the MacMillan Unit but these were held during the day and most of us were at work. Also, because the majority of breast cancer patients are over 50, the issues and problems of postmenopausal women were not the same as for the younger women who were mainly pre menopausal.
We decided that it would be nice to set up a group for younger breast cancer patients with the intention of talking about our experiences such as fertility, forced menopause, hair loss, to name but a few. Also it could be somewhere where we could exchange wigs and give advice on hair care, medical care and health care. We could even make it fun evening which is why we agreed that the venue should be a pub. The six of us exchanged email addresses and telephone numbers and we agreed to meet on the first Tuesday of each month.
We have been meeting every month for almost a year now and our number have increased to 11. Our ages range from late 20’s to mid 40’s and we have a poster in all the local hospitals inviting anyone who has been diagnosed with or has recovered from breast cancer to come along. We usually have a glass of wine (or 2) and something to eat and the meeting lasts for about 2 – 3 hours.
The benefit of this group is that each one of us has a different story to tell whether it be the treatment we received, the help or service we experienced or how we felt after our operations. Two of the girls, after months of deliberation, have decided to go for reconstruction based on the positive experiences of a couple of the other girls. This is fantastic news as they may not have had the benefit of knowing and understanding the procedures involved, if it hadn’t been for the formation of the group. I also get a great deal out of meeting the other girls and will be attending the Tuesday meetings for as long as they continue.
I think as we expand, we may need to change the name of our group which is currently the T.I.T.T. (Tuesday is Talk Time) Club! Suggestions are welcome!!
Julie
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