Originally published June 22 2005
Group provides support for women of color who are battling cancer
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Albany's Times Union newspaper profiles a woman who decided to start her own support group when she realized that no groups for minority women with cancer existed.
When Benita Garland was battling spinal cancer two years ago, she couldn't find a support group she felt comfortable in.
Most only dealt with breast cancer, and Garland wanted the encouragement and experience of other minority women.
So she and three friends decided they would found their own group, run by and for women of color, to support each other's journey fighting and surviving all cancers.
About a dozen women, both survivors and those currently fighting the disease, attend the group's monthly meetings.
The group is open to all minorities although almost all of the current members are black.
"It's powerful to have someone within our culture call us and say, 'I've been through that,' " said Garland's older sister, LaSone Garland-Bryan of Albany, a breast cancer survivor and another of the group's founders.
"Women of color -- that says it all," said Cynthia Boone-Johnson of Lansingburgh, a survivor of both breast and thyroid cancers.
But cancer can affect different races differently, in ways that can't be solely explained by diet, lifestyle or access to preventive health care.
There is practical information that is unique to minority women: where to buy an appropriate wig after chemotherapy, for example.
The group also has learned some therapies like radiation can have different effects on shades of skin.
Women of color often aren't taken seriously by health care professionals or are condescended to if they ask too many questions, Garland-Bryan said.
"If I ask a question, don't look at me like I'm an invalid or I'm ignorant."
Support groups traditionally offer not just support, but information like a lecture on how to eat well or the side effects of radiation therapy.
While they are undergoing treatment for cancer is not necessarily when they most need support.
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