“The learning, sharing and support – both giving and receiving – have become a cherished part of our lives.”

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As told by John: In our 27 years together, neither Mary nor I had ever been seriously ill.  A cold was a big deal for us.  The shock of our diagnosis – Mary had stage 2A breast cancer – was stunning to us both.  All of the sudden we were faced with an array of choices – mastectomy with or without reconstruction, lumpectomy, radiation, chemotherapy.   We knew literally nothing about any of this, and WE had to decide!  We realized that we were fortunate to have options, but still, we had to make decisions on a scale and magnitude we had never before faced.

Our medical team was world class; treatment was expedited and we had surgery within a month of the diagnosis.  Chemo, another surgery, and radiation were to follow.  Mary had begun chemo by the time we came to The Wellness Community-West Los Angeles.  We still had major decisions to make and were very fragile emotionally.  From our first visit to TWC-WLA we knew we had found a home, a safe harbor.  People here understood what we were going through and had practical support to offer us.  We attended workshops, meditation, and guided imagery sessions lead by the phenomenal staff that helped us get in touch with our inner selves and make treatment decisions.  I became a member of a Family Group and found that the feelings that I had as the husband of a partner with breast cancer were not unusual.  People in my group were supportive and, as a result, I became sufficiently empowered to support them also, which was emotionally nourishing for me.  Now that we have completed treatment, we continue to come to TWC-WLA.  The learning, sharing and support – both giving and receiving – have become a cherished part of our lives.

Mary’s Story:  As a “type A” personality, my response to finding out that I had breast cancer (July, 2005) was to take a systematic approach to solving the problem.   We quickly lined up a trusted medical team and set about the task of learning as much as we could about what we were dealing with.   We sought advice and recommendations on the most effective medical treatment to eradicate the tumors from my body and in very short order, set about taking care of business.   It wasn’t until I was halfway into the chemo cycles that my psychological and emotional health began to suffer -- feelings of loss of control and fear were beginning to affect my stoic nature.   It was during this time that John and I came to TWC-WLA and began to address the cancer beyond its medical aspects.    We’ve participated in numerous seminars, workshops, and group therapy sessions that have given us the support and tools needed to deal and heal emotionally and psychologically.  Though the major medical treatments are well behind me, I continue to participate in the Community.   People here understand what it is like to live with cancer, even after the treatments are done.   Our friends and family are genuinely relieved that we are “better now” and back to normal day-to-day activities, but they don’t understand that it will never really be over for us.  We’re surviving and that’s a day-to-day reality.    TWC-WLA is a safe-harbor and a place that I feel is like ‘home’ for the part of me that will always be a cancer patient.   Staffed by knowledgeable and caring professionals, TWC-WLA has improved the quality of our lives enormously.  I owe so much to this organization and recommend it to anyone having to deal with a cancer diagnosis.