Position: Care
Coordinator of Bosom Buddies at the Women’s Center of Jacksonville
Degree: Anthropology
and Zoology from the University
of Florida
Hometown:
Pensacola, FL
Favorite part of Jacksonville: The beach! Also, driving home at night when the bridges light up and look gorgeous.
Currently Listening To: Holiday music station on Pandora.
Serving
with the NFHC has been such a rewarding experience. October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so
I have been busy since day one of my service, which has allowed me to learn so
much in a short amount of time. As the
Care Coordinator, I conduct breast health educational presentations in Jacksonville, refer women
to services for breast cancer prevention and treatment, coordinate weekly
support group meetings, expand community awareness of Bosom Buddies and Young
Survivors support groups, and attend health fairs.
One
thing that I love about my host site is that no one is ever called a
victim. From the moment someone is diagnosed,
they are a survivor. My service allows me to
help these survivors conquer any challenge that life or cancer throws
at them. A young woman called me with
symptoms that were very suspicious of breast cancer but could not find a way to
pay for a mammogram. She was at the end
of her rope just about to give up, but I was able to refer her to a clinic for a free mammogram. Something as simple as that could have saved
her life, and I am able to help women like her every day. I cannot imagine any other position right out
of college that would allow me to make a difference while doing service that
I’m passionate about.
When
many people are first diagnosed, they can’t help but to
feel lost, alone, and afraid. I am the coordinator of the
Survivor Advocate Program that provides a support system for newly diagnosed
women by pairing them with a breast cancer survivor to serve as their
advocate. The trained advocates attend
medical appointments, take notes, and help coordinate
and schedule doctor’s visits. In
November, I planned a training session for five new Survivor Advocates. Hopefully by the end of my term even more new
advocates will be trained, so that dozens of women in Jacksonville will have the help of a fellow
survivor.
In
October, my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. Ever since her diagnosis, I have valued my
position even more. Bosom Buddies has a
library of information about breast cancer awareness, treatment, and
recovery. I have found the information
that we have for the family and caregivers of cancer survivors to be especially
helpful. We also have free bras and
prosthesis for women after a mastectomy, and wigs, scarves, and hats for women
during chemotherapy. October may have
been Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but breast cancer works all year round. I hope that throughout my ten months of
service, I can make as much of a difference as possible.
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