Extending an olive branch of hope

A specially designed support group is helping black women break the silence about breast cancer

BY: Geena Lee

One in nine Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. In 1999, Leila Springer became part of that statistic, joining the ranks of women fighting for their lives. While undergoing medical treatment, Springer searched for support groups that made her feel welcome and understood as a woman of colour.

"It was a long, hard journey," she says. "I wanted a support group that allowed me to express my faith and recognized me as a black woman whose needs may be different."

Unable to find such a group, Springer and fellow breast cancer survivor Winsome Johnson founded The Olive Branch of Hope (TOBOH) in 2001. The group serves women of colour who have been diagnosed with cancer by providing information, cultural resources and peer support during treatment and recovery. Participant Norma Evans says she found TOBOH very helpful during her battle with breast cancer.

"They gave me hope and lots of encouragement my faith was enhanced," she says. "We never spoke much about death, but about surviving. That's what I needed to remain positive."

Aside from providing support services, TOBOH has a mission to educate women of colour about breast cancer and risk. Through information seminars, health workshops and public discussion forums such as the Stop the Silence project, TOBOH is making progress. However, there is a challenge in maintaining an open dialogue about the disease. "Women of colour do not normally talk about their issues," Springer says. "We don't open up that easily. Some won't even say the word cancer."

Even though the emotional response to the disease among black women may be similar to that of their white counterparts, Springer says she believes the cultural response is different for black women because they have a "tendency to try and fix it ourselves, and some rely only on home remedies and prayer." But the delay in seeking medical attention can lead to fatal results, as women of African ancestry are more at risk of developing triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly aggressive form of the disease that is difficult to treat.

Johnson, who facilitates TOBOH's support group, and has been in remission for 18 years, admits she was one of the "silent ones."

"You don't want anyone to know you have breast cancer," she says. "But working with TOBOH and seeing how many women it has helped, has helped me to speak out more passionately. You don't have to die. There is life beyond breast cancer."

Recently elected president of The World Conference on Breast Cancer Foundation, Springer says she views her new role as an opportunity to voice the unique needs of women of colour in cancer research, treatment and support.

"Think of how Canada is so multicultural ... we have women from continental Africa, the Caribbean diaspora, Asia and South Asia," she says. "With all these coming together, we realize that something has to be done and we need to bring attention to it."

- For more information, call The Olive Branch of Hope at 416-256-3155 or e-mail [email protected]