“I needed to be in a place where people nodded their heads when I cried, ‘I hate this’.  I found that at The Wellness Community.” 

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As an obstetrical nurse and midwife, Louana George spent her life nurturing women during their pregnancies as they prepared for childbirth.  Understanding the anatomy and physiology of the female body and its significance in shaping a woman’s essence was not just her job, it was also an integral part of how she self-identified.  Her sense of her own womanhood was tested with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer in October 2005. 

Upon returning home from providing health care services in poor, war torn countries such as Liberia and Darfur, Louana felt a mass in her abdomen.  She ignored it for a few weeks and continued to settle in from her adventures abroad.  When she could no longer pass the mass off as a gastrointestinal bug, the reality of being uninsured hit hard!  Luckily, she was able to reach out to her colleagues in the medical community for assistance with diagnosing the mass.  A CT scan revealed the need for a total hysterectomy.  With the staggering costs associated with cancer care (she had out-of pocket expenses of over $30,000), when chemotherapy was recommended (she tried to strategize to somehow treat herself), she sought care at the county hospital. 

Her friends were there to listen but she needed something more.  Louana was having a hard time coping with the emotional impact of losing her female identity, whether it was as a result of the surgery to remove her reproductive health organs or the loss of her hair – the outward sign of her feminity.  Someone suggested a ‘group’ to her.  In January of 2006, she came to The Wellness Community – West Los Angeles to meet other women who were ‘in it’ like she was.  The simple nodding of her group members heads when she said, “I hate this” or “I’m ending chemotherapy and I’m scared” provided her with a feeling of comfort and safety.

Louana is a self-professed ‘writer’.  Yet, when diagnosed with cancer, one of her greatest skills – using writing as a tool to release her emotions – was gone.  She found that she couldn’t write.  Enter TWC-WLA’s writing group, a place where Louana felt comfortable being able to write about her cancer experience and how it impacted her life.  Through her time in this group, Louana learned that all your choices are okay and that after a cancer diagnosis, you realize what you want to do is make your days count.  To that end, Louana now lives in Colorado, teaching nursing at a community college and, in her spare time, writing of course!