Submitted by Renee Fenn
Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center and the Deep South Cancer Foundation partnered earlier this year to host a retreat in Cullman for breast cancer survivors and the women who support them.
Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center (Forge) and the Deep South Cancer Foundation (DSCF) hosted “A Journey of Courage and Hope,” the first retreat for metastatic breast cancer survivors in our region. It was an opportunity for women and the women who support them to retreat from the routines of treatment and daily life to experience a program of individual and mutual healing and renewal.
“These retreats are incredibly meaningful in meeting the needs of women who are approaching the end of life and want to connect with others, discuss their fears, make plans for the future and come away feeling more prepared for what lies ahead. Together participants discover new strengths. These women are survivors, even though they will never know the joy and relief of being disease-free. It is an opportunity to support women with metastatic breast cancer in a unique and meaningful way” said retreat facilitator and registered nurse Lillie D. Shockney, a two-time breast cancer survivor and an expert in the field of breast cancer from Johns Hopkins Hospital.
The retreat provided a safe environment for all to address and confront fears. The letter writing session was a particularly powerful time. Each survivor/co-survivor pair wrote positive things that came out of their relationship that most likely would not have if they had not received a cancer diagnosis. Nancy, a caregiver, wrote “My dear companion Sharon, I am deeply grateful to be traveling this road with you along with huge realities that present themselves. All of life and living and all of death and dying.”
The free retreat was held at the Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center in Cullman, offering a beautiful and peaceful refuge. Caroline McClain, manager of Forge said, “We are honored to offer this unique program that allows those walking along a similar journey to develop a community that will support each other throughout the rest of their life. Forge exists to provide exactly what survivors and co-survivors need, when they need it and how they need it; it is inspiring to see how this retreat is doing just that.”
To learn more about Forge, go to forgeon.org. To learn more about the Deep South Cancer Foundation, go to deepsouthcancer.org.
Submitted by Renee Fenn
