Posted: January 17th, 2023

Breast Cancer Resource

BREAST CANCER RESOURCE CENTRE 6 Breast Cancer Resource Centre Name Institution Breast Cancer Resource Centre The Breast Cancer Resource Centre (BCRC) is a social advocacy campaign targeting breast cancer patients in the various stages of their treatment and even after their treatment. For the newly diagnosed patients who are facing multiple decisions with the potential to change their lives, the centre provides counsel and a listening ear in order for the patients to come to terms with what they can expect. There are also patients who are undergoing treatment, which has become very complex in recent years particularly for breast cancer. The centre assists them in selecting the correct medication and sustaining the correct dosage. The patients are assisted through the process of radiation and chemotherapy, which can be very taxing to the body, and eventually through surgery. According to the BCRC website, the treatment process completely changes the life of the patient and therefore the centre helps them to cope with the new life after undergoing the breast cancer treatment. It helps the patients come to terms with living with cancer and the various arising complications.
There are various avenues to volunteer at the breast cancer resource centre. One can become an ‘AsSister’ whereby the volunteer is paired with a patient after some training on soft skills. The volunteer would then assist them through the healing process, the treatment and at any point when the patient needs help. Fatigue is among the most distressing symptoms of the treatment of breast cancer. According to (Donovan, Jacobsen, Andrykowski, & winters, 2004), the fatigue increases over the radiotherapy treatment course for breast cancer and therefore assistance to such patients is paramount. The fatigue can be so adverse as to render the patient completely unable to move. Beyond the physical support, the volunteer provides meals and some light medication to the patient. The treatment causes nausea and lack of appetite while at the same time lowering the white blood cell count. Adequate nutrition is paramount to the survival of the patient and to maintain a good white blood cell count (Partridge, Burstein, & Winer, 2011). More importantly, the volunteers provide companionship and friendship to the patients.
Volunteers can also choose to assist patients in the infusion room where the patients go to receive treatment. The volunteers visit the patients for an hour or two during the week as they undergo the chemotherapy which can last for hours on end. In many cases, the family of the patient is unable to assist them and as such the volunteers provide the much needed companionship and company during the long hours. Anxiety and fear related to the treatment and even the ambience of the room is very common. The volunteers help to spread cheer and raise the moods of the patients to relieve the boredom as well. The long hours and solitude associated with infusion treatment increases the chances of developing depression. Depression has been known to be a life changing and common side effect of breast cancer patients especially those undergoing hormonal treatment and therefore should be mitigated. The volunteers help to provide the psychological support to the patients in order to avoid or mitigate depression (Purkayastha, Venkateswaran, Nayar, & Unnikrishnan, 2017).
Volunteers also have the opportunity to help in organising events for the breast cancer resource centre. In this way, they can participate in speaking to people about their experiences working for or being a client of the breast cancer resource centre. This is targeted at former clients or beneficiaries of the BCRC. Several events are organized throughout the year and in different parts of the country, therefore, volunteers will always have something to plan and execute. Volunteers who easily interact with people and can reach out to a wide variety of people are ideal for this role. After some training, the volunteers will be members of the BCRC Speakers’ Bureau. Other volunteers have the option of attending outreach events in order to speak to people about the centre and its cause. They are organization ambassadors.
Event volunteers also have the opportunity to organize and execute fundraisers for the centre. The volunteers work across the board to ensure the success of the events from planning in the background to interacting with guests and donors during the fundraiser. The treatment of breast cancer lays immense financial burdens on the patient, with or without medical cover. For one, women who have undergone chemotherapy are at higher risk of losing their jobs. In some cases, the insurance cover dies not cater for the specific treatments required. Nearly a quarter of all breast cancer survivors reported a decline in their financial status due to the treatment (Young, 2015). The fundraisers help to assist the women and men who may not be in the position to afford such care and treatment. Moreover, the funds from the fundraiser help to sustain the activities of the BCRC.
I opted to volunteer as an infusion room assistant to the patients. During my period as a volunteer, I was provided with the basic training required which included soft skills and how to react to emergency situations. Since there are attending nurses in the infusion rooms, volunteers are not required to attend to the patents. The treatment process for the patient I would be spending time with was to take 5 hours according to the patient’s report. We got the opportunity to interact and learn from each other as we were introduced. Food and snacks are provided to the patients during the process. However, since the patient will be unable to move for majority of the process, volunteers had to provide the patients with snacks. The patient brought with them a book to pass time with during the treatment but was unable to continue reading due to fatigue midway during the treatment and as such I recited the book back to her. Volunteering at the infusion rooms requires compassion, care and devotion, not just to one but to all the patients. It builds one’s emotional intelligence as well as their character. It is the volunteer’s responsibility to react to the emotional responses around the room from various patients. Making jokes and lightening the mood are very important. All these efforts assist to avoid depression, something which is very prevalent among cancer patients as well as survivors.
Social advocacy causes are very much about the people. The psychological effect of being around comforting people has been known to have a direct impact to the success in healing if the patient. As a volunteer, it was fulfilling to see how my efforts went a long way to assist the patient with her healing process. The objective now is to bring in more people to assist in volunteering and to continue volunteering as well.
References Donovan, K., Jacobsen, P., Andrykowski, M., & Winters, E.
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4696897/ 67%
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https://labpages.moffitt.org/jacobsenp/Copy/Recent Pubs/Donovan FSI Supp Care Cancer 2011.pdf 67%
References Donovan, K., Jacobsen, P., Andrykowski, M., & Winters, E. (2004). Course of Fatigue in Women Receiving Chemotherapy and/or Radiotherapy for Early Stage Breast Cancer. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 373-340.
Partridge, A., Burstein, H., & Winer, E. (2011). Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Combined Chemohormornal Therapy in Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monographs, 1-8. Purkayastha, D., Venkateswaran, C., Nayar, K., & Unnikrishnan. (2017). Prevalence of Depression in Breast Cancer Patients and its Association with their Quality of Life: A Cross-sectional Observational Study. Indian Journal of Palliative Care, 268-273.
Young, M. (2015, 10 01). The Economic Impact of Breast Cancer: Managing a Costly Side Effect. Retrieved from Huffington Post: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/melanie-young/the-economic-impact-of-br_b_8227176.html

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