Hello fellow survivors

On Monday night, I went to my first cancer survivor support group meeting. First of all, let me say, it's amazing for me to even say, "I am a survivor." It makes me feel all warm and happy inside. I hope I can continue to repeat those words for many, many years.

So I go to this meeting on Monday night at Wellspring with some trepidation at the unknown. I was also somewhat disappointed because my social worker, who led the last group, had to bow out of this one because of other commitments. Don't get me wrong, the leader is perfectly fine, but I don't have the same kinship and warm, fuzzy feeling as I do about my therapist.

About 12 very diverse people, who fought many forms of cancer, gathered for our first meeting. It didn't occur to me until I was driving to Wellspring that men may be part of the group. I guess I've been influenced by the BRCA support group, which of course, is all female.

To be honest, in the first half hour, as we were doing introductions, talking about ground rules and objectives of the meetings, I wasn't sure the group was for me. I'd wondered if I could simply disappear and never return. I didn't feel comfortable or part of the group.

But over the course of the evening, my perceptions changed. I realized I had a lot of the same feelings, fears and reasons to celebrate as the other survivors.

At the end of the night, when asked how we felt about the evening, I said, "I felt encouraged because I'd found people who could empathize and not just sympathize." I got several nods when I spoke those words.

And as a result of these fellow survivors, I feel less alone with my irrational thoughts and perceptions. I feel like we've all conquered an enemy and we can share our battle scars. We can all learn from one another, and discover where we differ and where we have similar experiences. That's a good thing.

Tina