Patient Perspective: Roxanne
I am a third-generation breast cancer survivor. My experience with breast cancer began with my maternal grandmother, followed by my mother and has spanned most of my life. Now, I have a daughter and three granddaughters of my own who have now been personally touched by the disease. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy, in addition to seven weeks of daily radiation. On my last day of radiation I was declared cancer-free, but instead of celebrating I felt as if I was stepping into a vortex with no plan moving forward. I was left wondering “Now what?” Like many women, I felt lost and alone on my recovery journey. Although I live in Sarasota, I am often in Atlanta visiting my children and grandchildren. My daughter, Angie, who lives in Atlanta, heard about TurningPoint and made an appointment for me as soon as I was cleared to travel. I instantly felt comfort after meeting with the team at TurningPoint. From physical therapy and counseling to dietary considerations and exercise programs, my experience with TurningPoint is unmatched. After setting up a plan for my recovery journey, I became a long-distance patient and TurningPoint was able to coordinate care with my doctors in Florida to ensure that my treatment was continued, https://www.childinjuryfirm.com/tramadol-ultram. Each of us has a personal story. Whether it’s our mother, father, friend or neighbor, each one of us has a connection to breast cancer. TurningPoint understands that our connections to breast cancer are personal. Through a wide variety of educational programs and evidence-based rehab, TurningPoint’s specialized care brings hope, encouragement and support to survivors and their families. Moved by our experience with TurningPoint, my daughter Angie Dumler went on to become an active board member and passionate advocate of TurningPoint’s mission. In addition, my company, a strategic communication firm MagnifyGood, donated the research and strategy to create the #MakeItPersonal campaign — because the path to recovery truly is a journey, and TurningPoint helped my family and me make it personal.
Patient Perspective: Gwen
In February 2014, I was diagnosed with Stage 2b breast cancer. After treatment, I was referred to TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation. I chose to reach out to TurningPoint as soon as I was able. Since then I find I spend as much time as I can at TurningPoint. During a recent visit to TurningPoint for a journaling class, we were offered an exercise to “journal” what we were thinking about in the moment. I found myself listening to the sounds and voices around me as I was journaling, and I experienced a feeling of warmth and support, just being in this place of comfort. I was thinking about how I often find myself using any excuse to be at TurningPoint. It is a place where everything I have been through in the last four years has been acknowledged, understood, and accepted. Even though I have incredible support from friends and family, TurningPoint is the only place where I know and feel like they completely “get it.” Not only does the staff feel like part of my family, they are highly qualified to offer the most updated education, nutrition guidance, and various therapy modalities (including opportunities for exercise), tailored just for me. We are encouraged to discover and to embrace ways to overcome our physical and mental changes which resulted from treatment and surgery, as well as the anguish we have felt. There are no words I can find that truly express the gratitude I have for Turning Point and the wonderful staff I have met over the last four years.
Patient Perspective: Melissa
I have Breast Cancer. Those are words I never thought I would hear about myself. My journey began December 2017. Because I had been told years earlier I had dense breast tissue, I was being followed with mammograms and MRIs. In December 2017, my scheduled mammogram was normal, and I had already scheduled my MRI for the next week. The MRI revealed some alarming areas of concern. I went back to my Breast Specialists office in January to biopsy the areas that were of concern. In February, the biopsy results came back benign. At this point, my Breast Surgeon and Radiologist were not convinced of these results and suggested an excision biopsy to remove the tissue. In April, that surgery was scheduled. It was that surgery that confirmed my Radiologist’s suspicion that I had Breast Cancer—low-grade, stage 1 stupid cancer. It was at that point, I realized my life would change forever. I decided to have a double mastectomy. My surgery was scheduled for the third week of July, 2018. I had expanders put in at that time, and early September had implants put in. Today, I feel great! A large part of that feeling can be attributed to TurningPoint. When I was cleared to start physical therapy, I scheduled several appointments and got started. I wanted to regain my range of motion and alleviate the cording that I was experiencing. After a few sessions, I started feeling so much better. It was a confidence booster for me. I had been worried I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the quality of life I had been accustomed to; however working with the physical and massage therapists at TurningPoint changed my outlook. I lived in Sandy Springs for over 20 years, in fact, right behind TurningPoint. I had never heard of TurningPoint until I was referred to them. Crazy right? I thought so too. As an active community member and healthcare professional, I want to do more to promote TurningPoint. More people and businesses in our surrounding area need to know about TurningPoint. It’s a game changer. There is no other place like it in the South! No other PT, massage, nutrition facility dedicated only to the care of women with Breast Cancer. The specialized training of their physical therapists is focused solely on helping women recover and regain their quality of life. Game changer. My story had some ups and downs along the way, but I was diligent and so were my doctors. I could have stopped with a normal mammogram, but I didn’t. I could have stopped when the needle biopsy came back benign, but I didn’t. I needed to know why an MRI indicated something when other tests didn’t.I ultimately got my answer and it changed my life forever. I had Breast Cancer. Today, I am cancer free!
You can #MakeItPersonal
Some Tips for Participating in TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation’s #MakeItPersonal Campaign As we celebrate TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation’s 15th anniversary this fall and into 2019, we are inviting and welcoming you to tell your individual stories regarding your respective journeys with breast cancer. The ultimate goal of the #MakeItPersonal campaign during this milestone is to increase awareness for TurningPoint, both for those supporting and battling breast cancer. If this effort builds significant momentum, we will be making a difference for years to come in metro Atlanta and beyond. It is the moving, inspiring stories of our patients, staff, volunteers and supporters that do the best job of capturing the essence and uniqueness of TurningPoint. Additionally, such stories often describe the many benefits TurningPoint provides for the women and men served. We invite you to tell your story through videos, photos, and or writing and ask that you limit your videos to 1 minute 30 seconds. We would love to share your inspiring journey and how TurningPoint helped play a role in it on whatever social media platform you feel most comfortable with—be it Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. In doing this, we ask that you address any aspects of your journey but with specific reference to TurningPoint’s role in your journey. ∞ ∞ ∞ In responding to this query, will you please consider answering the following questions? How and why are you involved with TurningPoint? What was the thing you value most from your association with TurningPoint? What made your experience at TurningPoint unique to your journey? Can you talk about the staff and the specific help they provided you and your family? How did TurningPoint impact your physical abilities and the return to participating in activities you did prior to learning about your breast cancer diagnosis. When you tell your story via video, here are some important tips to keep in mind. Find a quiet, comfortable place to record without any distractions; minimize the potential for disruption You don’t need a script but have a pretty good idea of what you’d like to say before you record. This will make the process go faster and more smoothly. Be authentic/be yourself as we want to know how TurningPoint most impacted your journey. If people understand how TurningPoint affects a breast cancer patient or the loved one of a TurningPoint patient, it helps on multiple levels, including increasing awareness to patients, caregivers, and doctors in the entire breast cancer community. When you post by way of relevant social media, we ask that you reference the official hashtag #MakeItPersonal (note M, I and P are all capitalized to help read it more easily) and TurningPoint’s handle @TurningPointBCR Feel free to also reference other hashtags such as #breastcancer, #physicaltherapy and #cancercare Also, be sure to follow TurningPoint on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TurningPointBCR/ and share posts you see pertaining to #MakeItPersonal. Here are 9 examples of sample verbiage to use (please attach some image, video, or link to accompany this as the visual element of social media is so powerful and compelling.) * During my breast cancer journey @TurningPointBCR served an invaluable role helping me become cancer free. I will never forget the indelible impact the organization left on me and my family during the peaks and valleys of my experience. I’m forever grateful. #MakeItPersonal * I didn’t know what steps to take following my treatment plan for breast cancer three years ago. Fortunately, I came across @TurningPointBCR & its compassionate staff and will never forget the tears, smiles, screams and laughs that helped in my recovery. #MakeItPersonal * I will always consider my time as a patient with @TurningPointBCR as the most important part of journey beating breast cancer. Without the love and support of their amazing staff and fellow patients, I don’t know that I would have found the strength to survive. #MakeItPersonal * I always think about @TurningPointBCR for the game-changing support helping me in my battle against breast cancer. I would not be here today without TP’s extraordinary staff helping me with physical and massage therapy. #MakeItPersonal * It wasn’t until I went to @TurningPointBCR where I regained strength and was able to lift my ## year old child again. I will remember the real warmth and support every member of the staff showed toward me and my family. I wouldn’t be here today without it! #MakeItPersonal * For anyone battling breast cancer you should learn about @TurningPointBCR. It’s a unique nonprofit in metro Atlanta focused on survivorship, helping one with breast cancer feel better faster and fully return to engage in activities enjoyed before the bc diagnosis. #MakeItPersonal * @TurningPointBCR supports women and men of all backgrounds on the way to a full recovery, providing services such as physical & massage therapy. #MakeItPersonal * What stands out the most about my experience with breast cancer is the time I spent @TurningPointBCR. The organization helped me feel better mentally, physically and psychologically and brought me back to my family. Everyone with breast cancer needs to know about this hidden gem. #MakeItPersonal * If I didn’t learn about @TurningPointBCR while battling breast cancer, I don’t know that I’d be here as a survivor today. The nonprofit’s genuine and skilled staff brought me back to being myself again for my family and friends. And now I have a new lease on life! #MakeItPersonal Thank you so much in advance for your support and help boosting the critical work and mission of TurningPoint!
