Brain Tumour Support Groups Are Ready to Welcome You

London Support Group

Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada offers a network of 21 support groups in cities across Canada. These meetings are an informal and confidential exchange of information and experiences. On a monthly basis, patients and caregivers are able to share their hopes and fears, ongoing challenges, treatment options, and coping strategies with each other in a supportive atmosphere.

For someone who has been recently diagnosed, there are many new fears and details that can seem overwhelming at such a stressful time. While the thought of revealing aspects of a private diagnosis may make some nervous, support groups are so important because, essentially, there are few others who will really understand what patients feel, unless they have been a brain tumour patient themselves.

As Gerald Porter, a member of the Niagara Support Group, explains: "More than a year had passed since my surgery and radiation. I was looking for something not knowing exactly what it was. Although friends tried to be supportive and meant well, they had no idea what I was going through. I had seen a poster on the wall at the Cancer Clinic and decided to give it a try."

Everyone has their own reasons, and Jasmine Lachnitt, also of Niagara, describes how she became involved: "I wanted to see what the meetings were like because I had heard about them from my social worker. I didn’t want to be alone. I needed to see that I wasn’t the only one in my area that had a brain tumour." Although she was nervous about attending her first meeting, Jasmine quickly became comfortable. "It was a very welcoming environment. Once we introduced ourselves and began to hear other stories, I began to relax. There was something that had just been diagnosed in the group and I wanted to share my experience so that I could help her in her journey."

Gerald experienced the same feeling of acceptance, although he really was not sure at first what to expect. "I was welcomed with open arms and was able to just listen or speak freely. It was quite amazing how we knew what each other was talking about."

Claudine Lepage is a facilitator for the Moncton Support Group believes that some hesitance to attend a first meeting is due to misperceptions held by the general population about what happens at meetings. "It’s almost like a little family," she says. "I think some people think it’s a place where patients go to whine about their problems, when really it’s not like that at all. Meetings allow people to share their experiences and learn from each other on how they dealt with certain situations, what has worked for them." Although tears are shed occasionally and some feel it difficult to open up their feelings to strangers, support is a substantial aspect in the healing and treatment process.

Support groups are a non-judgmental place where patients and caregivers can benefit from the experiences of others. Trained facilitators ensure that everyone participates if they want to and that the discussion is positive and beneficial. "Newcomers may be afraid of what people are going to think," Claudine says, "or feel that other people there will be down and sick and the meeting will be depressing. Once they see that it is not like that, they usually come back." Patients feel better after talking to each other, and a strange bond develops among members. It is one reason that so many start to refer to the group as an extended part of their family.