A RAY OF HOPE
Support groups help those with cancer to cope with trauma …….Kumar Sambhav I TNN
Mumbai: A bookshelf in a cabin at Hinduja Hospital in Mahim, boasts of titles such as Joy Of Cancer, Celebrations With Cells, The Secret and Fact Sheets On Myeloma. The shelf also has many empty slots suggesting that many books have been borrowed.
Members of Mahek, a support group operating out of the hospital, have borrowed the books to prepare for their next meeting. Apart from reading the same
kind of books, its members have another thing in common: they suffer from breast cancer, a disease that can be traumatic for women.
kind of books, its members have another thing in common: they suffer from breast cancer, a disease that can be traumatic for women.
Ask them the importance of a support group and they are likely to say in chorus that it is an important ingredient of their therapy. For the past five years, the 90-member group has been playing an important role in helping each woman overcome the mental problems associated with the disease.
Mahek is not the only one. There are many who have come together due to similar vulnerabilities and concerns for helping others cope with the often-fatal disease. Sneak into the hall of the Borges Memorial Home in Bandra, a temporary residence for cancer patients undergoing treatment at Tata Memorial Hospital in Parel, on a Sunday evening. Chances are that you will meet a group of 15 to 20 people singing hymns. For the past eight years, the singers, all cancer survivors, have been paying monthly visits to the patients at the Borges home.
And then, there are volunteers at Prince Aly Khan Hospital in Mazgaon, who have formed a support group called Cancer Rehabilitation Centre (CRC). As cancer survivors, they say they are best equipped to deal with the emotional problems of patients.
This was not the case 14 years ago when Anita Vesuvala, the founder of CRC, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She recalls, Fortunately, I came across a breast cancer patient and we became friends. Later we decided to share our experience with other patients and formed the CRC.
Experts see these groups as complementary to medical treatment. Dr Jayita Deodhar, a psychiatrist at Tata Memorial Hospital, said support groups work on the principle of group therapy.
Support groups provide their members with a platform to ventilate their feelings and support others, says Dr Savita Goswami, clinical psychologist at Tata Memorial Hospital. Oncologist Asha Kapadia, founder of Mahek, said, Women suffering from breast cancer have to face many fears.We want to build a platform where the women who have undergone this trauma can help others going through it.