‘You have been my friend,’ replied Charlotte. ‘That in itself is a tremendous thing.”
EB White, Charlotte’s Web
Overview
This service was started in 1999 specifically to address the needs of women with secondary breast cancer. Over the years since this service began there has been a far greater acknowledgement of the different concerns for women who have this diagnosis. The challenges that have to be faced in knowing that the illness you have is one that will lead to your death are very different from those arising from having an illness that has been treated and hopefully cured.
Not all women with secondary breast cancer wish to be in a support group, or to know more about the cancer. But for those women who do want to know how other women deal with this disease – with the emotional impact, with the side-effects of treatment, with the impact on their families – being in a group such as this one can be very helpful.
This is a group for women to talk with other women about how to live with this illness, and we have found that joining the group soon after the diagnosis is generally most helpful. We always talk with women and answer any concerns or questions they may have prior to their joining the group.
There are no topics or set sessions – women talk about whatever they wish to talk about, sometimes with the help of laughter and black humour. Some professionals have expressed concern that it could be a very depressing group to join. We have not found this to be the case. It can on occasion be sad, as the women in the group make strong friendships with one another, and obviously women do die. However it is our experience that having a place where this can be talked about, where fears and anxieties can be listened to and thought about by others who understand, is much more often a relief than depressing.
To find out more, or to refer to this group, please contact us:
by phone: 07 3217 2998
by email: [email protected]
Superannuation for people with a terminal illness
People with terminal medical conditions can access all their superannuation tax free, regardless of their age or whether they are still working. Read more here.