Breast Cancer Survivor Social highlights importance of emotional well being

“When you’re newly diagnosed, emotional distress, depression, and anxiety, absolutely play into your overall success as a patient,” said Alicia Arnold, DO, an associate professor of surgery and the Breast Cancer Program director here at the Georgia Cancer Center.

Arnold is also a founder of the Breast Cancer Survivor Community Social, a breast cancer support group that meets once a month at the Georgia Cancer Center in the Knox Community Foundation Room.

“There was a lack of any sort of social support for our survivors and newly diagnosed patients,” she said when asked what inspired the creation of the group. “These men and women needed an outlet.”

Being a breast cancer survivor herself, she knew that having this welcoming and safe environment was vital to many patients’ mental and emotional well-being. Both can impact your health just as much as physical well-being.

“You can have more complications, infections, and other health issues that arise because your immune system is weakened due to high cortisol levels from stress.”

Cortisol is often called the ‘stress hormone’ as it helps regulate your body’s response to stress. However, it also plays a role in your metabolism, suppression of inflammation, blood pressure, blood sugar, and your sleep-wake cycle. Having high levels of cortisol creates many health challenges, so care must be taken to keep it regulated.

One way to reduce stress is by socialization.

“It is important for cancer survivors and patients to get the emotional support they need,” says Lauren Bigham, MD, director of the Georgia Cancer Center’s Psycho-Social Oncology program. “This can be accomplished through a support group, family support, support from church and counseling.”

The Breast Cancer Survivor Community Social provides a positive environment that encourages sharing personal experiences and allows a patient to make connections with others going through similar situations.

“It’s just nice to meet other people who understand where you’re coming from,” says Laura Orange, a frequent member of the group and the featured guest speaker for July. Orange is a patient of Arnold’s and received her diagnosis of Stage Four breast cancer in 2022.

At first, she did not want to accept her diagnosis or tell her friends and family about it. She aimed to put blinders on and push through the treatments until she was better but soon found how draining the journey could be alone.

“This support is fundamental. My cup was empty, and it needed to be filled to keep me going.”

Arnold understands the difficulty in expressing the challenges of the journey, and sharing these challenges with a group can be daunting, but she does not want anyone to feel forced to speak when they are not ready.

“An important aspect that I love about our group is that there are two options you can attend in person or virtually. You don’t have to talk, you don’t have to show your face, you can just join and see if this is the right fit for you. It is a very comfortable and welcoming environment.”

Each meeting has a featured speaker who presents their own topics, ranging from medical professionals to survivors who wish to share their stories. A medical professional is present at each meeting to be a resource for any questions that arise, whether that be Arnold herself or a member of her medical oncology team.

The Breast Cancer Support Social meets every fourth Monday (except on holidays) from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm, at 1410 Laney Walker Blvd, and online. The upcoming schedule can be found below and you can visit our website to learn more, or follow us on Facebook where we announce the featured speaker each month.

“It is so helpful to be around other people who’ve been through it, who can kind of relax your fears or see people who are 10+ year survivors on the other side of the journey. So please, come and join us at our next meeting,” says Arnold.