How a support group helped me after I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 25

Ann Wanjiku never imagined she would go through the same journey as her mother after her death. 

Just when she thought she was done with group therapy sessions as a caregiver for her mother after her breast cancer diagnosis, she found herself attending the smae sessions as a triple negative mastectomy (breast cancer) patient at the age of 25.

"My diagnosis in 2021 threw me off. I had not fully recovered from the loss of my mother, who died of cancer, and here I was getting the same diagnosis. I was very angry," she says.

Eventually, she decided to continue attending therapy sessions to help her cope with her personal journey.

While she did not immediately share her diagnosis with others in the support group, Wanjiku says she listened as people gave each other hope for life. 

 "After my treatment in 2022, I started sharing my story after realising that you can come back from this and I have been doing so every chance I get. The topics have also been useful because they have helped to address different aspects of life," says Wanjiku.

Not many are lucky enough to have this kind of support, and it's a challenge that specialists at Nakuru County Referral Hospital (PGH) noticed and decided to start a support group in 2018 to help patients and caregivers alike address their emotional and psychological needs.

"We started the support group because we noticed that many patients don't have family support or anyone to look up to, so we thought that if patients who are going through a common problem get together, they will have an opportunity to share their challenges, get motivation and encouragement, and be able to move on," says Dr Dulcie Wanda, a clinical/radiation oncologist.

It also provides a forum for carers to hear the experiences of others so that they can see it as a fight that is possible, and help them to have confidence in the treatment their patients are going through.

"Cancer is unfortunately a lonely journey. Most of our patients tell us that when they are diagnosed, they are left on their own, not because people are cruel, but sometimes it's because they don't really know what to tell you or how to be there for you, what to do or say, and that can make people avoid being with you and that brings a certain isolation," she notes. 

While they started with just five patients, they are now able to see around 30-40 patients every week, which is such an improvement,.

"Although our numbers are not where we want them to be, we are looking forward to complementing the support group digitally to cater for patients who come from afar. In addition, we envision having site-specific support groups to allow for the voicing of specific challenges," she says.