Invaluable Service to Cancer Survivors

I am a breast cancer survivor who can empathize with Victoria Burke, who was forced by her HMO to undergo mastectomy surgery on an outpatient basis. I was insured with a PPO and had bilateral mastectomies three years ago, and I was also asked to have outpatient surgery. After heated discussions, the insurance company allowed a longer stay--23 hours!

In my quest for knowledge that the doctors and nurses were unable to give me during my brief hospital stay, I was referred by a member of the hospital staff to the American Cancer Society. Once there, I arranged a meeting with a Reach to Recovery volunteer. These volunteers [are] women who have survived breast cancer and are screened and trained to visit other breast cancer patients in the hospital (or at home, which is becoming more commonplace with the increasing frequency of outpatient surgeries).

The volunteer who visited me following my surgery gave me a great deal of support and invaluable information. In fact, her visit was so rewarding that I decided to become a Reach to Recovery volunteer. We offer--at no cost--important emotional support and physical knowledge, which includes: how to exercise (with physician approval) to help speed up recovery; how to cope with the emotional pain; where to shop for a prosthesis; providing inspiration for recovery.

If you or a loved one would like a Reach to Recovery visit, please call your local American Cancer Society office. They will put you in touch with a volunteer in your neighborhood. Believe me, it will make a difference.

RUTH OGDEN

Thousand Oaks