“In my TWC – WLA support group I got more than I expected.  Those Wednesday night meetings were an oasis for me.” 

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In September of 2001, I felt something in my groin that I self-diagnosed as a hernia. My internist disagreed; he thought it was some kind of infectious disease.  I went to the infectious disease specialist, but that was not right either.  Next stop was an oncologist, who performed an inconclusive biopsy.  I was told that the only way to be sure was to have the thing removed.  I found a surgeon and the lump traveled around to several pathologists who couldn't agree on the grade.  However, they did agree that it was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  My first oncologist suggested chemo plus radiation, but I wanted to consult with other doctors. I was very lucky to find a doctor that I completely trusted and who agreed to prescribe chemo and one of the new mono-clonal drugs, rituxan, with no radiation.  This would only be for the first three months of treatment, however, and after that she would reevaluate.

After a few months my doctor told me that she had just returned from a lymphoma conference where a study had shown that for my type of cancer, chemo and rituxan without radiation (after taking all risk factors into account) resulted in longer survival if the patient lived for five years after diagnosis.  She and I felt that we had made the right decision.  I'm lucky enough to be able to make that statement almost six years after my diagnosis.

I read that there was evidence that participation in a support group might increase one's chances of recovery.  It also seemed like a good idea to share information and be with people who could relate to this struggle.  Since I didn't go public with my diagnosis, I liked the idea of being able to open up to others in an anonymous setting.  So I decided to look for a group.  That's when I found The Wellness Community – West Los Angeles. 

In my support group I got more than I expected – those Wednesday night’ meetings were an oasis for me.  I received and gave comfort and advice, made strong friendships, laughed and cried and was inspired by some special people.  Along the way I sampled some of the many TWC-WLA offerings: yoga, t'ai chi, meditation, and visualization.  But it was the support group that eased the journey in my fight with cancer, and I'll always be grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.