Breastroke

Introduction to Breastroke.com

Welcome to our humble site. We're glad you could stop by and visit with us.

Breastroke is a support / social group in Adelaide, South Australia for women who have had breast cancer.

We are a Breast Cancer Network Australia member group.

This website was designed with a two fold purpose. The first is to let others know about us, because as much as we love getting together with each other, we know there's probably a few women in our area who could really use our support. The second purpose is to give our members on-line support, and let us have a place on the net to call our own. We have links to breast cancer support sites and hope to keep adding links. We also share our experiences, and have recipes to share with one another along with some photos of our get togethers.

We meet every Friday from 4:30pm until 6:30pm for informal chatting, coffee, tea, biscuits and then make use of the pool and spa for an hour or so. You can find more details about where we meet on our Meetings page, or you can contact us directly using our Contact page.

A little about our Breastroke group

After 3 years together in a breast cancer exercise group, 10 survivors decided to form their own support group, “Breastroke”. A Retirement Village took us under their insurance umbrella and allowed us to use their facilities, heated indoor pool and spa. That was 5 years ago!

Since then numerous joys and sorrows have come from being members of a breast cancer support group. We meet weekly for tea and information sharing, then enjoy the pool and a relaxing spa. But 18 months ago our youngest, brightest member Julie, suffered a brain haemorrhage and stroke. Our whole group was devastated and I wondered how we would continue. Julie’s life hung in the balance but she survived. Again! She is now learning to walk, has learnt to read and write again and is teaching herself computer skills – lessons she once taught others as a primary school teacher. Julie continues to inspire our group, and now also advocates for the brain injured and disabled. Julie has taught us so much about giving and believing.

Through Breastroke we give and take, celebrate and grieve, learn and grow, heal and strengthen.

Carol Forte

Breastroke Facilitator

Members

New Virtual Field of Women

BCNA (Breast Cancer Network Australia) have a very unique new thing happening online at www.fieldofwomen.org.au - it's a Virtual Field of Women.

Anyone can leave a message for a friend or loved one and it will appear on a Pink Lady symbol on the website. There is a $20 charge per message, and this goes directly back to BCNA to fund their wonderful support for those of us with Breast Cancer.

Support

The Breastroke web site is ready to be tested

Well I think the site is about as complete as I can make it. I'd like more web links, photos and recipes to be added, but all of these items can be added as the site goes 'live', and these are items I don't necessarily have to do myself. If you are Breastroke member and have 'member' status (this is something I have to set manually), you can add articles, links, photos, recipes and comments through out the site.

Please have a good play ... check out the site before registering and logging in so you can see how it works, and that the Members Area isn't accessible. This area will only be available once your account has been set with the role of Breastroke Member. It has a members roster list with our contact details that I felt shouldn't be seen by anyone but us girls.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know.

And... have fun! If everyone in the group who uses the Internet participates on this website, it's going to be a wonderful place - not just for us, but for those who need to know that there is definitely life after breast cancer.