New service provides support to young women with breast cancer

Toronto - Canada's first peer navigation service for young women with breast cancer is providing newly diagnosed young women the skills and navigation tools they require to face cancer with dignity.

The service is a collaboration between the Odette Cancer Centre (TSRCC), the comprehensive cancer program at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Wellspring and Willow Breast Cancer Support and Resource Services and it allows newly diagnosed women to share their concerns about breast cancer in a confidential manner with an experienced, trained volunteer.

Dr. Karen Fergus, psychologist, has been running support groups for young women with locally advanced breast cancer and inflammatory breast cancer at the Locally Advanced Breast Cancer Clinic (LABC) at TSRCC. She found that support services targeted specifically to young women with breast cancer were sorely lacking. Since the peer navigation program was launched in November 2005, it has matched more than 20 young women with one of a team of trained peer volunteers.

"Young women with breast cancer are faced with unique psychosocial and practical challenges," says Fergus. "Hopes of conceiving a child may be shattered and careers are put on hold. Young women worry about how the illness will influence new or future intimate relationships and its effects on their body image and sense of womanhood."

Many women feel isolated from their peers who have not experienced such a traumatic life disruption. They find themselves separated from the broader cancer population because of their stage of life and relatively young age.

The service matches newly diagnosed young women with a survivor who is similar in disease type, age, stage of life and treatment. The two can talk face-to-face or over the phone.

Laurie Dudo was 27 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2003. Realizing the need for programs like this she jumped at the opportunity to volunteer as a peer navigator.

According to Dudo, "These women have just been diagnosed and are going through treatment. They don't know what to expect or what to do. Just providing a listening ear, someone who understands where they are, what they are going through and to help guide them through the resources can mean so much."

"Becoming a volunteer has really helped me. Emotional and physical recovery do not run parallel," says Dudo. "When you are diagnosed the doctors put you on a treatment plan and this is what you focus on. It's only when you've made it through the process that you have time to reflect on what you've gone through. Now I feel like I am turning my pain into power. I know how important it is to have someone to talk to. It made a huge difference to me. We help make sense of the chaos."

Volunteers complete a specialized training program tailored to younger women's issues. They are monitored under close professional supervision, the team meets regularly to debrief with one another and discuss how to problem solve. Continuing education talks are offered to volunteers and users of the service.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society 21,600 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. Only 5 per cent of these women will be under the age of 40 and 2 per cent will be under the age of 35.

The service, launched last fall, is a one year pilot project made possible by Rethink Breast Cancer, an organization dedicated to helping young women
with breast cancer. It is open to any women around the age of 40 or younger with breast cancer living in the Greater Toronto Area. To enroll, please contact Wellspring at 416-480-4440 or Willow at 416.778.5000.