Contact Us -
Mary O'Brien and Pia Hirsch
First Floor, 205 Boundary St
West End QLD 4101
Ph: (07) 3217 2998 Email Us
“It helps to know that you are not alone.”
Welcome to the website of The Advanced Breast Cancer Group. We offer a range of services for women with advanced breast cancer, (also known as secondary breast cancer, or metastatic breast cancer), including a weekly support group for women (accessed face to face or by telephone), support for their partners and families, partnership with the Aussie Breast Cancer Forum and a DVD resource “You’re not Alone: a film about Living with Secondary Breast Cancer”.
If you live in Queensland and would like to join this group, phone us on 3217 2998.
The Group
This is a community based service, funded by Queensland Health, where women throughout Queensland can share their experience and gain support from each other within the safety of a professionally led group. Through the use of the telephone, rural women and sick women can join this Brisbane based group, which has been shown to benefit women by significantly improving mood and reducing distress.
New group members are welcome. If you are from Queensland and would like to join this group, please ring us on 07 3217 2998 or send us an email at wps2@bigpond.net.au
These are some of the thoughts of women who have attended the support group.
“As I’ve said often on the phone, I value the unselfish sharing of the women living with secondary cancer. While I am considered “well” at the moment, the feelings shared by the other women at varying points on the continuum of this diseases progress, will add to my fund of resilience for the future. I am humbly grateful for the generosity of all the women I’ve connected with in this service.”
“With help from this group, we prefer to see the glass as half full.”
“Knowledge is power & I feel so powerful.”
“Sharing the end stage of other women’s disease has been a privilege. I feel it is part of the journey we all wonder / worry about and seeing other women deal with it gives you the inspiration that when your time comes you will be able to cope too.
It also helps with closure in losing someone you have formed a close bond with in a relatively short time. A quote I like is – A Beautiful life has touched us all.”
“For me, the support group has empowered me to be able to “live” with ABC. Rather than just existing on a day to day basis.”
“The bond between the women is as strong as concrete.”
“This group saved my sanity.”
“Being told that one has a disease for which there is no cure, only palliative treatment, is a huge emotional challenge. It has been of great benefit to me to be able to talk about this and related emotions with women who are dealing with the same issues. As loving and caring as our partners, family and friends are it is not possible for them to really understand how it is for us and at times it is frustrating and tiring to be ‘putting on a brave face’ with those around us. With the women in this group, including the therapists, one is able to really be oneself and be truly honest. This is a burden shared and therefore alleviated to a great extent.”
Making connections with others.
Acts of Kindness
One of the surprises in our BC journey ( and there are many good ones ), is experiencing the “random acts of kindness” that are often showered upon us when we least expect them and usually when we need them most.To think that an extremely busy, talented friend would take the time,materials etc to create something beautiful and meaningful for not only me ,but for all our group, – complete strangers to her, just blows my mind!
I feel very humbled and blessed and as Lyn said “life is sweet”.
- Margaret
Support for partners and families – ring us on 3217 2998 if you have any questions
Resources
The DVD “You’re Not Alone” is available free on request from The Cancer Council Helpline 131120.
Residents outside of Queensland need to ask to be put through to Brisbane.
To read what others have said about the DVD, click here.
DVD Feedback
‘I had the first chance to look at the DVD this morning and I reckon its structure is excellent. I can really imagine it being an excellent resource with the capacity to go to different sections, definition, place for further resources etc. When we were setting up the whole thing I never envisaged that the funds and the project would stretch as far as this.’ – Documentary filmmaker and academic GFS
‘I thought last evening’s breast cancer screening was a triumph – very emotional for me and many others in the audience, including the Governor/GG designate. Talking with Quentin after the screening, she was very impressed with your initiative and the women in the film. It was wonderful and courageous of them to participate and for the two surviving women to attend last evening.’ – Griffith University Academic
I wish we had had the DVD when my wife was alive… I would unhesitatingly recommend it for mandatory viewing by all families of women with secondary breast cancer.’ – partner of former member of the group TC
‘We found it to be a very honest and sensitive DVD that identified the challenges of a secondary breast cancer diagnosis whilst promoting hope. It will be a very useful resource for BreaCan in supporting women, their partners and families to live well with a diagnosis of advanced disease.’ – BreaCan
‘I have just finished watching the DVD. What a fabulous resource. I’m sure it will be a great help to many women with secondary breast cancer. What inspiring women. The DVD reinforced many things I tell participants of our Living with Cancer program and Support Group, for example – learn, ask questions and write things down. I will now have to add ‘eat chocolate’.
Thank you for forwarding the DVD’s. They will by valuable for others on their journey with secondary breast cancer, and I will walk beside them.’ – Continuity of Cancer Care Coordinator
‘Thanks for the dvd, I watched it this afternoon, I thought the women were very articulate and expressed many emotions that I have experienced. I am lucky that I found a group for advanced breast cancer in Melbourne however my 15 year daughter came home while I was watching the dvd and it did give me an opportunity to discuss things a little bit more with her. I think she found the discussion about dying a little confronting but she has been in denial about my condition. She has convinced her self that if I have a positive attitude that I can beat breast cancer so I think it was a good thing that she watched the dvd.’ – Consumer
‘Watched the DVD and thought it was very nicely done. Had a bit of a cry when it was finished and probably needed that. The DVD addressed some very good points, especially the fact that the timeframe available to someone diagnosed with advanced breast cancer is completely variable, but is usually measured in years not in weeks like it seems at the time.
Something that is missing though in most breast cancer support material is how to manage if you are young and have young children. I think it would be a valuable service if you created this type of support network for a group specifically aimed at those with young children.
I think you did a wonderful job with the DVD and thank you for providing a valuable service.’ – Husband of consumer
Great DVD, those women are wonderful to share so much of the journey. – Marketer of specialist breast apparel
‘Thank you for sending me the DVD. I have now viewed it twice, both with my husband and sister, and will later show my two adult children. I liked the way the video was produced with the three women talking on the various topics. They raised lots of questions which could be discussed with family without going into too much detail about actual symptoms of the disease. They were also very positive about how they lived their life which gives encouragement to others.’ – Consumer
The DVD is great. The women featured gave me some hope that cancer is not a death sentence. The courage of each women in the video was amazing. And the importance of connect group could not be ignored. I am now looking for one close by. Thank you again. The DVD has been a good tool for me to learn more about other women and know that I am not alone. – Woman with ABC NSW
Hopes and Hurdles Pack
BCNA are the peak national organisation for Australians personally affected by breast cancer. They supply a free Hope & Hurdles Pack to women diagnosed with advanced breast cancer.
Order online or call 1300 887 340 to order your free Hope & Hurdles Pack.
Bits and Pieces
This is the one place we can be honest and upfront
Women who join the group are asked to complete a comprehensive set of questionnaires, asking them about their recent experience of living with secondary breast cancer, when they first join and every six months thereafter. To read more about the…
The Aussie Breast Cancer forum ‘provides an Australian meeting place for people with breast cancer, and for those affected by breast cancer.’ The Advanced Breast Cancer Group and The Breast Cancer Foundation of Western Australia Inc. have partnered with the…
Removal of Primary Tumor in Metastatic Breast Cancer May Prolong Survival
September 21, 2009 (Berlin, Germany) — Surgical removal of the primary tumor in patients with metastatic breast cancer — which is not currently standard practice — could greatly improve survival. According to data from 1 study presented here at the 15th Congress of the European CanCer Organization and the 34th European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Multidisciplinary Congress, tumor removal was associated with a doubling of overall survival.
The dawning of a brand new day as out of bed I climb.
I’ve found since I got breast cancer, I’m pretty short of time.
I’d love to accept invites, but my friends don’t have a clue
I’m just so…
Presented at a COSA Conference, this poster shows the clinical effectiveness of a long term professionally led group for women with metastatic breast cancer delivered face-to-face and by telephone conference.
