Cancer unites group for solace and support

The group meets monthly to "share ideas and feelings, socialize, and have a little fun" said Nancy Acemoglu, RN, parish nurse for St. Ambrose Church in Latham. "Our members are from all stages of cancer -- from the newly diagnosed and those in treatment to those in remission. The group expressed the importance of having members who have recovered" because they give others hope.

That's how the group got its name: "Faith, Hope and Share."

Origins

"One day, I thought, 'If only these people could meet and share their similar feelings,'" she recalled.

Mrs. Acemoglu, who has been running the parish nurse program for 13 years, ran the idea past Rev. Francis DuBois, pastor. He readily agreed that there was a need. Rather than refer to it as a "support group," though, the members decided to call themselves an outreach gathering.

"Its structure is such that it doesn't really meet the definition of a support group," Mrs. Acemoglu said.

Members

"I'm not even a parishioner of St. Ambrose," she said. "But in the nearly two years that I have been with them, I have found great support and hope. I can't say enough about how much they have helped me."

Ms. Papapetros, a single mother of three teenagers, learned that she had stage-three cancer of the left side of her throat in April 2000. When she was a brand-new member of the group, the others invited her to go with them to the horse races in Saratoga Springs. Even though she felt a little self-conscious, they immediately made her feel welcome.

"I had just had surgery and couldn't even swallow," she said. "They were so kind and caring. I immediately felt as if I were a part of the group."

Welcoming feeling

"In this group, you don't have to say a word if you don't want to," she noted. "People understand how you feel because they have all gone through it themselves. They can relate to everything you are feeling. Sometimes, it helps to just be with other people. Here, I have found a home."

While she was recovering from her surgery and undergoing radiation treatment, the group's members cooked for her and her children, and were available whenever she needed them.

"I don't know what I would do without these wonderful people," she said.

Diagnosis: Cancer

Mrs. Dunne learned that she has stage-three colon cancer last August. Although she has had surgery to remove the cancer and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatments, there is an increased chance that the cancer will recur, and doctors are closely following her recovery.

"There are not a lot of support groups in the Capital District that you can turn to," she said, adding that by the time she joined the group, she had already tried two others and dropped out because neither of them "felt right" to her. However, after she'd attended a few meetings of Faith, Hope and Share, she knew she'd found the right place.

New world

"Frankly, the medical community doesn't do much to put you in touch with support groups. But I felt that I wanted to be around people that could support me and the decisions I made. I wanted to be with people that understood what I was going through. I also wanted a group where I could be comfortable with my own faith and spirituality.

"I noticed a poster about the group when I was at St. Peter's Oncology Department where I was having treatments," she said. "I contacted Nancy, and we agreed that I would attend their next luncheon."

Soul support

"With this group, I can find God among the personal stories of other members, but it is not a 'pity party,'" she said. "The group is filled with hope, and people are a fantastic support to each other. I have met people with similar experiences who are willing to openly share their feelings with the rest of us. We are not only connected to each other by cancer; we are also connected by each other's spirituality.

"As a group, we have strength and hope. We all have to build our physical selves, but our faith is also being built and nurtured in this community. I look at my membership as being a treat to myself during a very difficult time in my life."

(Editor's note: Faith, Hope and Share is open to any cancer victim, cancer survivor or family member. For further information, contact Nancy Acemoglu at 785-1351.)

(02-07-02) [[In-content Ad]]