Gynecologic Cancer Survivors Support Group: A Closed Chapter

I was thrilled to return to my support group meeting at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center via video last week.  I was unable to participate for the past few months because it conflicted with a class I was teaching.  It was also bittersweet because I had to say farewell.  The cancer center decided to change their programming and was not going to offer the support group meetings in the regular location where videoconferencing was available.  They were moving to a different location and the new location does not have any videoconferencing capability.  If I want to participate, I would have to go back to the Big Apple.  I do not have any problem going back.  After all, I love the city.  It's going to be difficult because with the teaching I do here in Rochester, I cannot get away to attend the support group meetings.  I am sure at one point down the road, I'll be able to pop in and say hi to my fellow cancer warriors.

My wonderful Resources for Life after Cancer social worker is retiring tomorrow.  It was my final farewell to her as well.  She's amazing.  She was the one who made the videoconferencing possible.  I love that she mailed me information and resources.   I also had to say farewell to an interpreter who had been with me for a long time.  Bittersweet, indeed.

I was pretty quiet throughout the whole meeting... largely because I was having a hectic day.  But I was just absorbing everyone's stories and experiences.  I could relate to some but did not relate to some.

Do I need a support group now?  I am not sure.  My life is pretty full as it is now.  The support group was instrumental in helping me recognize that I was not alone in my own experience.  The group members validated my feelings, struggles, and fears.  If I was experiencing things I could not explain to those who never had cancer, they would tell me I was not alone.  The support group was what I needed the most for a specified period of time.  I don't know what my needs will be in the near future but if I happen to be in New York City on a third Tuesday of the month, I am definitely attending a meeting!  It is often said that shared experiences connect us.  For sure, I do find myself bonding with fellow cancer warriors.  I met a cancer survivor at a holiday gathering recently and we immediately bonded.  While I am not finding support through the group anymore, I continue to find support by meeting people unexpectedly.  That is, in my perspective, the universe's way of reminding me that I am never alone.