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The Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-03-30, Page 36astectomy Visiting Servic For three years running, Jill Hohnes sent a Black Forest cake to a surgeon on the anniversary of the date that he had removed one of her breasts. This year, the fourth since her operation, Jill did not send the surgeon a cake. The London woman says that the'fourth anniversary was not any less significant than the previous three. It's tust that she was far too busy o send the cake because of her part-time job, hospital volunteer work, quilting lessons, church and club ac- tivities.; The part-time statistician with the Department of Public Works is one of a dozen current members of Bosom Buddies, a program for mastectomees — people who have lost a breast — at the London YMCA -YWCA. The women meet once a week for a half hour of swim= ming pool exercises, follow- ed by an hour-long meeting that features speakers, crafts, films or discussions. Now in its third year, the Bosom Buddies program is operated by Thelma Griffin of Lambeth who is the Cana- dian Cancer Society's Mastectomy Visiting Service Convener in the London area. Thelma has been a Mastectomy Visitor for the past 10 years officially, but in fact she's been visiting mastectomy patients since her own operation 20 years ago. "When I walk in and tell them I had my operation 20 years ago, they immediately perk up because I give them hope that they will be alive in 20 years, too, and they can 'see it will be possible for them to look normal again," Thelma says. Mastectomy Visitors are women- who- have- had a breast removed, usually more than five years ago. They are able to reassure pa- tients and offer them advice because they have been there themselves. The sir vice was introduced by Canadian Cancer Society to give women a sympathetic and supportive source of in- formation when.they may be at their lowest point. Thelma Griffin and the five other ac- tive Mastectomy Visitors in the London area visited 206 women last year. Jill . Holmes recalls . her "delightful surprise" when Thelma visited her three days after her operation. For the 7,000 women who will undergo breast surgery in Ontario this year, the hours immediately before and after the surgery are traumatic ones. How readily a woman adapts depends largely on how well adjusted she is, but even someone as positive in her outlook as Jill faces uncertainties. "You feel that the end of the world has come," she recalls. "You envision all sorts of terrible things. You think! It's right through me. I'm going to die." The loving support of her husband, Beverly, and daughters, Debbie and Cheryl, helped Jill weather her personal storm. But some mastectomees- aren't so lucky. Some women find that their husbands and children have rejected them in an ef- fort to overcome their own emotional conflict. Accor- ding to Thelma Griffin, some women turn away from their husbands because they have groundless fears that their husbands will reject. them. Happily, such cases are a minority and 90 per cent of the mastectomees can count on receiving emotional sup- port from their families. Even those lucky enough to have caring families ap- preciate the helping hand of the Mastectomy Visiting Service. For many, the visit from the Cancer Society volunteer is their introduc- tion to breast prostheses, or artificial breast devices, and other services. The visit must be approved by the pa- tient's doctor. Only 2,000 of the more than 6,000 mastec- tomees astertomees in Ontario last year were visited by the Cancer ives re Society's Mastectomy Visitors. Some hospitals operate their own services, but Thelma Griffin believes some physicians are in- sensitive to the psychological effects removal of a breast can have and to some of the physical concerns such as the need for specially designed or altered bras. "They're not exactly tuned into how a woman feels about it," she explains. "It's part of your femininity. It af- fects fashion because clothing is designed to ac- centuate the bust and it af- fects your femininity and self-esteem because men are either interested in your breasts or your legs. It depends a lot on your own uebec group solicits funds A Quebec -based organization called the Cancer Research Incor- poration is presently soliciting funds by mail using the mailing list of the Times and Financial Post. While this group is a legal charitable organization, it is not affiliated with the Canadian Cancer Society or the National Cancer Institute. Of the money they raise, 29 per cent is used for administration costs (as opposed to only six per cent used by the Canadian Cancer Society for administration) and 95 per cent stays within the province of Quebec (although three small grants have been given to univer- sities in Toronto, Saskat- chewan and B.C.). This Quebec -based group is also sending out In Memoriam donation cards to funeral homes in Ontario. On such cards, they use a symbol which is almost identical to the Canadian Cancer Society's caduceus symbol. "This makes things very confusing for the donor," says Bob Montgomery, district director for the Ontario Division, Canadian Cancer Society. "This group is not illegal. All we are saying to the donor is beware. Money donated to this group is not likely to go to helping people in their own areas." Howard Aitken of Goderich (centre) was recently presented with this certificate of service for serving as publicity chairman for the Huron Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society from 1967-82. With him, at left, is Bob Montgomery, district director for Ontario Division and Mel. Farnsworth, vice-chairman of the Huron Unit. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) pews 4 ssuranc psyche whether you can ac- cept it or not." The first visit from Thelma and her subsequent involvement in the Bosom Buddies program at the YMCA -YWCA were very im- portant to Jill Holmes. "At first, I enjoyed ex- changing feelings with the other women. If you have had a twinge, you're relieved to hear that someone else has, too, because once you've had it you think maybe with every ache and pain that it's coming back. But now, I'm in a position where I think I can help the newer members of the group." Both Thelma and Jill feel the ideal time for the first visit is before the operation. Jill now feels she was "railroaded" into the opera- tion when she signed a con- sent form for a biopsy and mastectomy at the same time, not realizing she had any options. "I wish there had been a source of information in ad- vance. You don't realize that you have rights. Maybe you want a little more time to think things through," she says. For Jill, learning that she required a mastectomy was especially distressing. When her biopsy was first analyz- ed, she was told she did not have a malignancy. She and her family had . already celebrated with champagne when she discovered' 10 days later that a mistake had been made. With the help of the Cana- dian Cancer Society's Mastectomy Visiting Service and her family and friends, Jill has recovered from the emotional and physical shock. Her scars have heal- ed and she now feels ready to help others overcome their problems. She shares a bond with the thousands of women visited by Thelma and the other volunteers in and around London. "You never forget it. No matter what. You just live with it," she explains. Examine breasts ... • from page 3 start you off on the right track by examining your breasts and then showing you how to do BSE. In ad- dition, your local Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society can provide pamphlets, films and other helpful material. When you practice BSE you quickly learn what is usual for you, so if anything unusual develops you'll discover it at a very early stage. If you- do .. contact your doctor right away. Many doctors will see you the same day you call. AND THEN? Well, that depends. Your doctor may take an x-ray picture of your breast, using a modern technique called mammography, or xenography. Ultra -sound may be used, especially if your doctor thinks the lump is a cyst. If your doctor suspects a cyst, it can be easily drained with a needle. For other lumps your doctor may do a biopsy which in- volves removing tissue from the breast. Remember, in 85 percent of cases the lump is not cancerous,. AND IF IT IS? Many women keep the lumps on their breast secret because they are frightened of mastectomy (surgical removal of breast tissue). They are especially frightened of radical mastectomy (removal of the entire breast). It's true that this was the most common operation for breast cancer for many years. But times have changed. Today a doctor has three other choices depending on how early the lump is found. the patient's age and the extent of the cancer: a___ lumpectomy, where only the tumour and a margin of breast tissue around it are removed, a simple mastectomy where the breast is removed, or a modified mastectomy where the breast and glands are removed but the muscles are left. Often the breast can be rebuilt through plastic surgery after a mastectomy. In some cases your doctor will use radiation therapy instead and focus a radiation beam on the cancer at a dose which will destroy it with minimal damage to surrounding tissues. Or he may prescribe chemotherapy, an anti- cancer drug treatment. Remember, everything depends on regular breast self-examination and the early reporting of anything unusual. This information is brought to you with the kind co-operation of the following: THE BURKLEY RESTAURANT AND TAVERN 312 MAIN ST., EXETER 235-1730 Exeter Grand Bend Clinton Goderich GK Realty & Insurance 235-2420 238-8484 482-9747 524-2118 ' Pryde Monuments 293 Main St., Exeter „ Phone 435-0640 I. MICHAEL P. O'CONNOR FUNERAL HOMES BGNTHRON CHAPEL 118 KING STREET HENSALL, ONTARIO NOM 1x0 TELEPHONE 262-2211 WESTLAKE CHAPEL 49 GOSHEN STREET, N. ZURICH, ONTARIO NOM 2T0 TELEPHONE 236.4365 282 Main St. S. 1_0)go �2 O 235-1314