A breast cancer diagnosis can be a frightening event for both the patient and her family, but various nationwide programs are dedicated to helping diagnose and support those with breast cancer and their loved ones. These programs can help make a difficult time a little easier, either financially or emotionally, and can facilitate connections with other people living with breast cancer, to lessen the isolation a cancer diagnosis can bring.
National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, known as the CDC, has a program that brings access to breast and cervical cancer screenings to low-income and uninsured women in the United States. This program is the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, or NBCCEDP. Screening tools provided by the program include mammograms, clinical breast examinations, Pap smears, pelvic exams, further diagnostic testing if abnormal results are found and referrals to treatment, reports the CDC. The CDC estimates that approximately 8 to 11 percent of women in the United States are eligible for this program, and since 1990, NBCCEDP-funded programs have performed more than 9.2 million breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings and diagnosed almost 45,000 cases of breast cancer.
Reach to Recovery
Reach to Recovery is a program developed by the American Cancer Society that has been in place for over 40 years. The purpose of the program is to provide support and resources for both men and women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or are facing a possible diagnosis of the disease. Specially trained volunteers who are breast cancer survivors themselves meet with an individual and her family and facilitate discussions about concerns and emotions about the diagnosis and treatment, as well as provide answers to questions about the breast cancer experience. In person or by telephone, volunteers can provide support for diagnosis concerns, questions about surgery or chemotherapy, lymphedema problems, breast reconstruction issues, and the metastatic breast cancer experience, states the American Cancer Society. The volunteers also provide literature for the patient and her family, and in some cases, give the patient a temporary breast form until the permanent prosthesis comes in. Reach to Recovery volunteers illustrate for individuals new to a breast cancer diagnosis that it is possible to continue living a full and enjoyable life after cancer.
Breast Cancer Network of Strength Programs
The Breast Cancer Network of Strength Organization, formerly known as the Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization, offers numerous programs through their website. The YourShoes Support Center hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with breast cancer survivors who are specially trained to provide peer support to those living with breast cancer, according to the Network of Strength website. A Partner Match Program provides support and information to those individuals whose partner or loved one is living with the disease. For patients who have limited financial means, the Network of Strength has a wig and prostheses bank that provides these items to individuals in need through nationwide affiliate sites.
