February 2018 was the 20th anniversary of the Ashford Breast Cancer Support Group and we were recently featured in the March edition of ‘Sunbury Matters’, a free publication for residents in Lower Sunbury.
Monica Chard, Editor visited our 20th-anniversary event held at Ballard Lodge, Shepperton. She says:
“We attended the 20th anniversary of ABC Support Group. It was a humbling and emotional event. These brave ladies had either been through or were still going through breast cancer treatment. I felt incredibly lucky. It was a reminder that cancer can hit anyone at any time. When it does, you need the support and experience of those who have been there before you, who can tell you what to expect and to give you hope.”
Since its inception, many hundreds of ladies and their families have benefited from the support on offer, ranging from practical initiatives to educational talks to outings or a bit of fun.
The group is self-funding and is run by volunteers. At the celebration evening, they were raising money through a raffle. All the prizes had been donated by local businesses and the money raised goes back into the kitty.
If you know anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, or who is going through treatment, do make sure that they know that there is a listening ear (or many) and words of advice available. The message is ‘We are here. We can help’.
This is the longest existing such group in Surrey. Mayor of Spelthorne, Vivienne Leighton was in awe of the caring togetherness of the group and wished them well. She said ‘Twenty years ago when you set up, cancer itself was not so high profile. What you do is truly fantastic’.
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