Reach To Recovery

I've never heard of this....is that it's intent, to match survivors with newly-diagnosed women or women in active treatment? Sounds wonderful! How did you hear about it, D?

~Marin

When I had surgery last year an RTR volunteer helped me. Now that I'm through with treatment, I did the RTR training. I volunteer in a hospital, so I see patients before they go home after surgery, and I call to follow up after they're home. If they need chemo or radiation I request another volunteer with that experience to contact them for followup.

Minz 

I've written this on another thread but I called at least 8 times requesting a call from a RTR volunteer.  One person called about 2 months later and didn't leave a return number.  A supervisor called me to ask how it was going and I told her what happened.  She was astounded and asked if I still wanted to hear from someone.  I said that I did and no one ever called.  Like many of you, I have a lot of friends but I could have used a call or a visit from someone who survived cancer. If the program is defunct or there aren't enough volunteers, it shouldn't be offered as a resource.

Terese Lasser began Reach to Recovery in 1952 due to her own breast cancer.  From what I've read she was quite unhappy about the total lack of support during her mascetomy and decided to take it upon herself to visit women during their mastectomies and provide support.  The surgeons hated her and often she was evicted from the hosptial, but it did not stop her!!  The doctors felt that she was "interferring" with their patients.

Eventually, the American Cancer Society took it over as a national program.

As I understand it, there are rules that must be adhered to, i.e. a survivor with mastectomy must either have reconstruction or wear a prosthesis in order to be a volunteer (the BC survivor must look "normal", according to ACS.)  Also, the volunteer must be at least one year cancer free.  Furthermore, I believe no one at stage IV is allowed to be a volunteer.  I hope some of these rules have since been relaxed.

I too called them several times before and after my mastectomy but sadly no one ever got back to me.

I too have mix feelings. I have done it for about 2 years. Most of the folks I called were stage I, and 80 years old.

Everyone I called really didn't seem to want to talk, or had all of the information they needed.  I usually find that friends of friends support is better.

I am not doing it anymore. Felt my time was better spent raising money for the cause.

Just my opinion.

Janis 

Reach to Recovery worked for me...they were so nice...

Perhaps RTR is quietly being phased out?  It is a different world today, as opposed to 1952 when RTR was initiated.  Back then women were in the hospital ten or more days for mastectomy, as opposed to our one nigh, or even worse, drive through!.

Also, the Internet has endless information along with forums such as this one.  If we choose to visit a forum we're being supported by many women who are going through the same thing.

However, IMO, there is still a need for RTR for those who don't have access to the Internet and also for those who can appreciate talking in-person to someone that can shed light on the many issues we face. 

In addition, many, many women continue working during/after breast cancer and maybe the number of volunteers has lessened.

Jelly 

Back in the late 70's, I started a RTR program in my hospital.  That was when women were given radical mast and in the hospital, as noted above, for many days.

It was a huge help then to have another woman to meet with and, after banging the surgeons over the head, they were all for the program and made referrals even before admission to the hospital.

We have NO cancer volunteer programs like that now, I went out of town and was left a packet with a cami and literature by Y-Me.

I wanted to do RTR, but after being on the boards and learning how few benefited from it, I decided to do my vol work here.  LOL

(I can be very flexible with timeframes and such)

I'm not into raising money but when I worked with ACS, I was very active in education, counseling, and many other medical care aspects.  Even getting the big city oncs to learn that protocols could be administered in small towns by good docs. 

I agree that RTR is likely phasing out due to the vast amout of info available from so many other sources.  And isn't it wonderful that a radical mast is no longer even considered very often!

My RTR experience was super, but then my RTR volunteer was my next-door neighbor, who I'd sat with through her own chemo five years before my diagnosis. She did find it hard to deal with my cancer so close up, but she was wonderfully supportive. Of course she didn't necessarily follow all the RTR rules, for which I'm eternally grateful. For instance, her response to my announcement that, "I have breast cancer!" was a resounding (and entirely uncharacteristic), "Oh, s***!"  And before my surgery she cheerfully stripped to show me her scars (extremely reassuring!)

Also very touching to me was that one of the nurses on the floor where I spent the night after my mastectomy was a survivor, and she made it her business to leave a package on the nightstand for every woman undergoing bc surgery. It had a breast form, a small hand-sewn pillow, a pile of literature (one pamphlet on lymphedema, which I tossed aside because I just "knew" that was never going to be MY problem ), and a really beautiful enameled pink ribbon pin. I cried.

So THANKS! to all of you who reach out, in whatever way you find to do it. It really does help.

Binney