Amazing women

I've now spoken with so many women who have been through chemotherapy for breast cancer. But until the other day, none that had done the regimen I was leaning towards, TCH, or taxotere, carboplatin, herceptin. Last wednesday, I went to a support group at georgetown and after telling of my anxieties about chemo and the difficult decision, one of the women told me she knew someone that was doing TCH. Four days later, she emailed me the contact info, and the next day, I spent half an hour talking with a complete stranger about her experience with TCH.

And on saturday, while wig shopping (oy! a story for another day) with one of my breast cancer mentors, she ran into a friend of hers who also went through chemo recently. Also her2 positive. The friend, like everyone else, did the AC-TH regimen. But told me she knew someone that had done TCH. A few days later, the friend called me not only to pass on the contact info, but to tell me that I could call her ANYTIME if I needed someone who had been through this to talk to. Last night, I spoke with the friend of the friend of the mentor -- and while juggling a sick 9 year old, she talked me through her experience with TCH.

Not to mention the mentors. The program is called "Survivors Offering Support," and the founder is simply an amazing lady who, after going through the experience of breast cancer on her own, decided she wanted to make sure others didn't have to do it alone. The program now runs in around ten hospitals and, thankfully for me, started in georgetown a few years ago.

I guess one of the silver linings of breast cancer is discovering the incredible generosity of women who just want to make someone else's experience a little less difficult than their own. All I can say is wow.