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Support Groups and Resources...Knowledge is Power!The First Step is Education You won’t require breast cancer support groups if you never get diagnosed with breast cancer. And it starts with education. Knowing what
breast cancer risk factors
are, knowing which factors are controllable, learning to trust what you know about your body, how to do self-exams, how to eat healthy, when to see a doctor, what type of doctor to see, what questions to ask, what to watch for, where to go for more information, who to trust, when to get a second opinion...and when to get a third.
We know our own bodies better than anyone else. And the more you know and learn about breast cancer, the better your chances are for either avoiding it, or finding out about it soon enough for it to be treatable. Doctors are only human and they have busy schedules and personal lives just like the rest of it. Stuff happens. They don’t always have or take the time to find out what’s going on with your body when it starts out as a minor ailment or complaint. You MUST learn to take control of your health, especially when it comes to breast cancer. For Survivors
For those who have already been diagnosed, we truly believe that it’s imperative that you join a group to assist you through what you’re going through. When my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, we didn’t know where to turn to with questions. Computers were new to us so we were still seeking information the old-fashioned way...the yellow pages and word-of-mouth. I had asked mom on a couple of occasions if she had found a Survivor support groups The answer I always got was that she was doing fine. She never did join one. Please, if you are a Survivor, contact various groups and find one that you’re comfortable with...then go! I was there for my mom and always willing to listen, but no matter how many loved ones you have access to that are willing to listen, to care, and to ask if you’re all right, they will never completely understand what you’re going through. It’s the difference between a pregnancy scare and a positive pregnancy test. One creates a certain mode of caution for what you do with your future. The other completely changes your life. Education and Support Groups We’ve searched out and provided below what we feel to be the best breast cancer organizations available both online and off. If you know of a support group or other resources that you trust and find to be useful, please let us know. As you begin going through these sites, keep in mind that they’re only as good as the people who provide the information. Be sure to check out several, if not all, of the sites. Confirm information. Ask lots of questions. Talk with your doctors. In other words, please do not trust just one source of information. There’s a lot of information available, and while it can sometimes feel overwhelming to go through it all, it could make a life and death difference to you. Today, there are a number of resources available that range from support groups to hotlines and are available to breast cancer survivors as well as their friends and families. There are several important reasons for women who have survived breast cancer to utilize these resources. Because breast cancer can recur it can be important for survivors to have a forum in which to express their fears, experiences, and concerns. These support groups can provide essential information about the healing process and provide support in the case that a woman's cancer may recur. Because of this chance of recurrence it is equally as essential that women who have survived breast cancer maintain regular follow-up visits with their doctor.
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How many times have you or someone you know gone to a doctor with something that’s “not quite right”, only to be told that it’s nothing? You go home and it gets a little worse each day. You call the doctor back and by the time you get to your next appointment, you’ve got full blown walking pneumonia and you’re handed a prescription for antibiotics with an order for 2 weeks bed rest. 
