Each September, members of the Brockport Breast Cancer Support Group celebrate the golden days of autumn and their personal victories over breast cancer during Camp Good Days and Special Times Women’s Oncology Weekend in September. This year, Anne Klein, owner of the Portico Bed and Breakfast, North Main Street, Brockport, made her yearly sojourn to Camp Good Days and Special Times, “camping out” and renewing her spirits with friends and fellow campers. Camp Good Days and Special Times, on the shores of Keuka Lake, is celebrating 25 years of camping for children and families whose lives have been touched by cancer. Brockport Breast Cancer Support Group members participate in the Women’s Oncology Weekends, hosted in September and June, and include fun activities, which are designed to foster the well being of women diagnosed with, being treated for, and recovering from cancer. Camping isn’t exactly roughing it, the women bunk in dorms and cabins, and eat some of the area’s most delicious foods, including special desserts from area restaurants. The women build friendships, support one another, and celebrate each other’s victories over cancer. Besides participating in Camp Good Days and Special Times Women’s Oncology Weekends, Klein also volunteers with the American Cancer Society’s 35-year-old Reach to Recover, a peer support program for women impacted by breast cancer. Klein and a number of the group’s other members also participate in the American Cancer Society’s annual “Relay for Life” in Spencerport, in June. The group has a relationship with Highland Hospital’s Women’s Oncology Unit, volunteering their time and resources to sewing post surgical comfort pillows for women who have undergone mastectomy and lymph node dissections. The Brockport Breast Cancer Support Group also takes part in the annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year’s walk is Sunday, October 17, at Frontier Field, Rochester. The Brockport Breast Cancer Support Group meets the first Thursday of each month at Lakeside Memorial Hospital’s Wellness Center, 156 West Avenue, Brockport. “Women dealing with breast cancer and their families are invited to join us. We are a warm, welcoming and encouraging group of women who want to help other women dealing with breast cancer,” said Irma Pylyshenko, the group’s founder and facilitator. For more information about the Brockport Breast Cancer Support Group, contact Pylyshenko at 467-5365 or Virginia Campbell at 638-6273. |
