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Cancer support goes bilingual

On a recent Thursday afternoon, 52-year-old cancer survivor Maria Elena Garcia walks into the American Cancer Society’s conference room confident and optimistic. A group of about 13 women sit around the table chit-chatting in Spanish and enjoying some vegetables and fruit snacks. Their mood is rather festive, despite some of them feeling sick and wearing hats to cover their bald heads.
Garcia pulls out a copy of a poem. “Ayer, hoy y manana,” she starts reading.

“We are always thinking about what happened yesterday and what will come tomorrow, but we only have today,” Garcia tells the group in Spanish.
Tears roll down the cheeks of some of the women as they nod their heads in agreement. Their battle against breast cancer hasn’t been easy.

It has been nearly two years since Garcia was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was treated and released. Back then, the Spanish-speaking breast cancer victim didn’t have that many people to talk to about her illness, other than her five children and husband.

But last October, the American Cancer Society kicked off its first Spanish-language support group in Kern County, which is held every second Thursday of the month at the non-profit organization’s office.

More than a dozen women, including relatives and friends, show up to the monthly meeting on a regular basis. Some come from Lamont, Arvin and even Delano.

The Cancer Society recently started a Spanish support group for breast cancer victims and their families in Delano to make it easier for women who don’t have transportation.

Socorro Carrillo, a health programs manager with the Cancer Society, said there is a great need in the community for cancer patient services in Spanish. The Cancer Society offers a variety of free services to cancer patients and their families, but up until now, they had only been available in English.

“Even though the group just barely started, we can see there was a great need for a Spanish support group because women are now able to communicate their emotions,” Carrillo said.

The program is facilitated by staff and volunteers from the Cancer Society and Clinica Sierra Vista.

“Our goal is to assist cancer patients to overcome some of their challenges; their suffering due to their diagnosis by sharing experiences,” she said.

That’s what the support group is all about. It’s a place where women with cancer and their families share their personal stories and find inspiration in each other.

For breast cancer survivor Pilar Medrano, having someone to talk to is very important. Medrano said that when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2003, she didn’t want to fight the disease or get treatment. She had just lost a daughter in a car accident when she found her lump and was very depressed.
Moreover, her relatives avoided talking about her disease.

“We didn’t talk about it. My family would talk about it among themselves, but whenever I walked into the room, they would stop talking,” she said. “It was very difficult to share. We were taught that we couldn’t talk about certain things. My family wouldn’t even discuss it.”

But it was Medrano’s two younger daughters who motivated her to fight her cancer.
Medrano, who attends both support groups in Bakersfield and Delano, said the program helps her by allowing her to help other women, especially Hispanic women who don’t like to talk about their problems.

At the support group meetings, the women share inspirational notes, talk about their treatment side effects and their families. Sometimes, they even laugh about those experiences.

For Garcia, who has been cancer free for more than a year, she wants to make sure women know there is support and services available for them.

“To share experiences is important because sometimes we go through situations that we think are normal. But, when we share with other women, we realize that they are not,” she added.

In addition to the Spanish-language support group, the Cancer Society recently started its first Spanish-language “Look Good ... Feel Better” program. “Sientase Bien ... Luzca Mejor” is a program that teaches beauty techniques to women undergoing cancer treatments.

Because of the intensity of the cancer treatments, people can experience body hair loss and other skin problems. In this class, trained, volunteer cosmetologists show women how to apply make up and style their wigs to help them improve their physical appearance, and consequently, increase their self-confidence.

Each patient who attends the class receives a free cosmetic kit that matches their skin tone and wigs — all donated by local groups and the cosmetic industry.
According to Carrillo, the classes, which started in January, now have seven bilingual volunteer cosmetologists and average about seven patients per month.

“There was a great need for this class in Spanish because patients are not getting lost in the translation,” Carrillo said. “When patients get undivided attention from the cosmetologist, they get step-by-step instructions.”

“Every person that comes to the class loves it. Women seem to get their self-esteem back because it’s like that saying, ‘If they look good, they are going to feel better.’”

American Cancer Society Spanish-language support group

Support group meets 4:30 p.m., every second Thursday of the month, ACS office, 1523 California Ave.

“Look Good ... Feel Better” (Sientase Bien ... Luzca Mejor) program/beauty class, also available in Spanish. Meets three times a month at various times/locations.

Both programs are free. Details, 327-2424.