Westlake Village group an oasis for people with cancer

Sept. 30--WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- One woman in the support group wore a pink wristband. Another carried a book called "Waking the Warrior Goddess."

Lynn Buchanan, of Newbury Park, brought a bra.

Purple, decorated with dangling wine corks and part of a Cups of Courage project, it sat on a table surrounded by eight women, all diagnosed with breast cancer.

Like everything else at the Cancer Support Community in Westlake Village, the bra served as a road sign for an oasis where survivors can talk about anything.

"On 12-12-12, I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time," Buchanan told a newcomer to the group, running her hands through hair she once dyed blond but is now a balance of salt and pepper. "I'm 16 months after chemotherapy and I love my mane."

Once known as the Wellness Community, the nonprofit support organization was launched 23 years ago by two nurses to give people a place to relate, share and survive. It operates on a $1.3 million budget, all generated through donations.

It serves 3,200 people from Van Nuys to Santa Barbara, up about 200 people from a year ago. About 60 percent of the people come here because they, or someone in their family, were diagnosed with breast cancer.

They come for workshops on radiation side effects and the swelling called lymphedema. They come for yoga, watercolor painting, anxiety reduction and a class on the Chinese healing art Qi Gong.

During a June picnic, butterflies are released in a garden in a flight called "Wings of Hope." People with a disease that can be isolating gather for ice cream socials, karaoke and comedy nights.

Every event carries the same message as the sign in the lobby warning visitors not to wear perfumes or scented lotions.

"A lot of times when people are going through chemotherapy, they have strong reactions to odors and smells," said President Suzanne Drace, who retired on the last day of September after 12 years leading the group. "I would hope it says we care about you ... This is a safe place."

Some of the organization's many support groups are aimed at people with cancer in early stages. Others are for people with malignancies that are spreading. There are groups for all cancer survivors, people diagnosed with prostate cancer and children who have parents or siblings with cancer. A new program was formed for men who are caregivers.

A year ago, the Support Community launched separate groups for women with breast cancer in addition to groups that deal with cancer in general. This month, a group will start for women with breast cancer that has reached stages three and four.

Many of the groups meet at the organization's home on Hampshire Road in Westlake Village. Others meet at Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura, St. John's hospitals in Oxnard and Camarillo and Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Winnetka.

Sabine Anderson, 52, of Moorpark, learned she had been diagnosed with cancer in a phone call from her doctor at 11:30 a.m. during a business trip to New York.

She set up an appointment with a surgeon and then, not knowing what else to do, finished her business meetings. She spent the night in a hotel room researching cancer on her laptop.

Every click made her more overwhelmed, more scared.

"I should have gone to a bar," she joked at a Monday night meeting for women diagnosed with early-stage cancer.

They sat in easy chairs and a sectional sofa, sharing stories, advice and empathy about everything: migraines that may be linked to radiation; night sweats that cause one woman to sleep with a full-body ice pack; and uncomfortable conversations with doctors.

They talked about not telling co-workers about their cancer. They shared stories about radiation, scars, reconstructive surgery and the T-shirt that says, "Yes, they're fake. My real ones tried to kill me."

Teri Trudel went through a double mastectomy, chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery after being diagnosed with an invasive cancer a year ago. The registered nurse took six months off from her job as a medical review specialist with an insurance company.

She took care of herself. She spent time with her husband and their two boys, ages 5 and 9. She baked bread. She practiced meditation at a Buddhist center.

"I have changed so much," she said, thinking of a life before where she juggled work, volunteering and family. "I thought I had my priorities in order and now I realize I had them all wrong."

The perspective makes her look at her cancer in a way that makes "the others" look at her like a deer mesmerized by an oncoming car.

"It's a gift," she said of her cancer. "It gave me the lesson but without killing me in the process."

Others in the group said the same thing. Cancer took their hair and, in some cases, parts of their body. It brought fear that will never completely recede.

But the disease also gave them a chance to look at their lives and to change. They said it empowered them.

"Absolutely," said Trudel.

CANCER OASIS

Brand: Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara, formerly known as the Wellness Community.

History: Nurses Marty Nason and Beth Kin started raising money and planning for the support organization 26 years ago, modeling it after the Wellness Community in Santa Monica. It opened in 1991.

Operation: Runs as an independent nonprofit but is affiliated with an international network called the Cancer Support Community.

Services: Serves about 3,200 people through educational workshops, events and support groups. Provides programs in Westlake Village, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura and Winnetka.

Programs: https://www.cancersupportvvsb.org/program-calendars/

More: To learn about the Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara, call 379-4777. Or go to https://www.cancersupportvvsb.org/.

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(c)2014 Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.)

Visit Ventura County Star (Camarillo, Calif.) at www.vcstar.com

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