Breast Cancer Support Groups in the Cedar Valley

One in 8 American women and 1 in 1,000 American men will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer and fight for their lives each year.

Breast cancer is difficult to face alone—for both patients and their loved ones. To help in the battle, there are a number of local resources and support groups.

This list of local support groups was compiled by the Beyond Pink Team, a program of the Cedar Valley Cancer Committee:

Emotional Support

The Touch of Courage Breast Cancer Support Group - This local support group, sponsored by the Beyond Pink TEAM meets the first Monday of each month at the Kimball Ridge Building in Waterloo, Iowa. Click here for more information on this group.

Young Cancer Survivors – This group meets quarterly and is open to all young women living with a cancer diagnosis. This group is not specific to breast cancer, but instead is focused on the needs of younger women and providing them an outlet to meet other cancer survivors.  Young Cancer Survivors meet from 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. the third Tuesday of  January, April, June and September. Click here for more information on this group.

Splash of Color - Splash of Color (SOC) is a breast cancer support group that assist survivors of color with necessary resources, education, and support. SOC meets the second Thursday of February, May, August, and November. Meetings are held at the Waterloo Public Library, 415 Commercial Street, Waterloo, Iowa 50702 from 5:00-7:00 p.m.  Light refreshments are served (child care is available if prearranged). Click here for information about this group.

 Care and Share: Support group for anyone dealing with cancer- This local support group meets the first Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at the Covenant Cancer Treatment Center, 200 East Ridgeway Avenue, Waterloo, IA. This group is facilitated by an oncology social worker

 Breast Cancer Support Group (Waverly) – This local support group meets the 3rd Saturday of each month 9 a.m. at the Redeemer Lutheran Church 2001 W. Bremer Avenue. Waverly. Contact: Ann Trax 319-352-5108
email: Ann.Henniger@wartburg.edu

Breast Cancer Support Group (West Union) - This local support group meets the 4th Monday of every month – 4:30-5:30 p.m. at the Palmer Lutheran Health Center 112 Jefferson Street, West Union.
Contact: Loretta Lerch 563-422-9705 or 563-774-2101

Grundy Area Breast Cancer Support Group (Grundy Center) – This group in Grundy Center meets the First Monday of February, May, August and November from 4:45-6:45 pm. The group meets in the Education Room at the Grundy County Hospital. For more information call Kristi Barnett at 319-824-4129 or email her at barnetkg@ihs.org .

Reach to Recovery - Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, trained breast cancer survivors visit one-on-one with breast cancer patients to share information and provide support during the cancer journey. For more information call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/SupportProgramsServices/reach-to-recovery

“Support groups are really beneficial,” says Debra Somerrs Copit, MD, Director of Breast Imaging at Albert Einstein Medical Center, and a member of the medical advisory board for Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

“When patients are told they’re sick, it can be an out of body experience and they aren’t taking in everything the doctor is saying. It can be helpful to have someone to turn to and learn from who has gone through the same thing,” says Copit, who is a breast cancer survivor herself.

Not only do groups offer emotional support, but being a part of a support group can actually help patients feel less depressed and can help to reduce physical pain, according to a 2001 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Patients who aren’t big fans of group settings but still want to reap the benefits can turn to technology. It’s hard to duplicate in-person support groups on the web, but the recently launched breast cancer specific social networking platform, MyBreastCancerTeam comes close.

The site and mobile app caters to breast cancer survivors, and women  who have been recently diagnosed. Users can find suggestions for doctors and find similar users based on location, diagnosis and age. Members also have access to peer-driven Q&A section where they can read and write posts.

While a web platform may be useful for some, Dr.Copit worries that online forums can sometimes trigger the spread of misinformation. She suggests that patients who can’t make it to an in-person support group try calling a phone line.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer has a confidential survivors’ helpline that connects patients with others of similar background, going through similar situation. Call (888) 753-LBBC (5222) for more information.

TELL US: Do you know of any breast cancer support groups in the community? How have they helped you?