TAKING THE CAKE: Soaring Eagles breast cancer support group founders Jennie By SHAUN INGUANZO
PARTNERS of breast cancer sufferers found a helping hand following first anniversary celebrations for Belgrave’s Soaring Eagles breast cancer support group.
The Soaring Eagles group held its celebrations at the Ranges Community Health Services building on Tuesday, 26 July with almost 40 people in attendance, including sufferers, their children and partners.
Soaring Eagles cofounder Rob Handisides said The Eaglettes, a subgroup consisting of sufferers with younger children, were also in attendance.
Ms Handisides said the evening was full of information.
“Guest speaker Dr Amanda Horden opened our celebration with an informative talk on the role of support groups and articles of the year of various members of our group were displayed for everyone to see,” she said.
Ms Handisides said the group watched several videos including one of Soaring Eagles members taking part in May’s Life Field at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where 11,500 women affected by breast cancer entered the field to create a sea of pink to raise awareness of the illness.
She said the group also offered benefits for partners who enjoyed the night so much that they now want to meet more often.
“Although men find it hard to express themselves in a personal crisis they would, in effect, be supporting each other when their wife’s breast cancer comes up in conversation, and it will them help them normalise their own emotions and worry that they have been through,” she said.
“Men are often left out of the picture in the early diagnosis of breast cancer although they are very much a victim of breast cancer themselves.
“Feelings of grief shock and fear hit them just as hard as it does the woman but they are often neglected by family and friends in their concern for the wife or partner.”
