Staroszkolna 6c. This is where the women meet every Wednesday. At the end of February 2008, they will celebrate the third anniversary of the official establishment of the Bolesławiec Amazons’ Club. This does not mean that they did not meet before. They have been doing so for 12 years. Thanks to these meetings, numerous friendships have formed, and many women have managed, at least to some extent, to forget about breast cancer and regain peace of mind. And by registering their own club, the Amazons from Bolesławiec can turn to sponsors for financial support. However, support varies.
The club currently has around 35 members. Not all members of the Bolesławiec association have undergone mastectomy. Women who have had another type of cancer, or who simply have health problems, may also join the club. “We invite all women who would like to leave the house and make friends,” says Ewa Biegasiewicz, chairwoman of the BKA. – “It is not that we come here and cry about how poor, unhappy and ill we are,” Biegasiewicz stresses.
The Amazons know that many women are ashamed of their illness. Data from medical supply stores make it clear: many women in Bolesławiec wear prostheses. “If there were more of us in the club, we could do more,” Ewa Biegasiewicz admits. Raising funds is difficult. Large companies—even those employing many women—are not interested in supporting the club’s activities.
The women are nevertheless doing very well. This year, they wrote a project proposal and received money to purchase specialist equipment for lymphatic massage. It is the only device of its kind in Bolesławiec. They managed to buy it with municipal funds. “Anyone who needs such a massage can contact us. You do not have to be a club member,” Biegasiewicz explains. Treatments are provided not only at the club’s headquarters. Bedridden women can receive massages in the comfort of their own homes. And all the Amazons can count on support during the most difficult moments, even before or after surgery. They can also receive financial assistance, because the medicines that make it possible to get through chemotherapy are very expensive.
Solidarity
The Bolesławiec Amazons’ Club is about more than Wednesday meetings. The women organize Andrzejki celebrations, competitions with the Day Care Home, and wafer-sharing gatherings. They are friends with Amazons from Zgorzelec, Lubań and Olszyna Lubańska. Every year, on the first Saturday of October, they take part in the nationwide Amazons’ pilgrimage to Jasna Góra. “I know from my own experience that it is worth coming here,” says Maria Klimas. – “I thought I was coping very well psychologically. That I did not need to come here, that I could manage on my own. I was wrong.”
The women admit that these weekly conversations have given them a great deal. Not all of them could count on support from their families. But even those whose loved ones helped them greatly do not regret overcoming their hesitation and coming to a meeting. They sleep better at night now. And when they see their friends—enjoying excellent health and in great shape—they feel additionally motivated: to live actively and to fight the disease.
Cancer can, after all, appear at any age, including among very young people. The Amazons from Bolesławiec remember that when they organized meetings at schools last year, it turned out at one secondary school that three girls needed consultations with an oncologist. One of them has already undergone a mastectomy. She had to interrupt her studies. That is why the Amazons appeal to people not to be afraid of preventive examinations.
Prevention
To overcome this disease, it must be detected early enough. Unfortunately, as Ewa Biegasiewicz admits, “getting to an oncologist in Bolesławiec—that is an art.” It takes around six months to get an appointment with Dr Ewa Wizgird, the patron of the Bolesławiec Amazons’ Club. “The Amazons are calling for an oncologist to receive patients five days a week,” the club chairwoman says. Another important demand is the establishment of a chemotherapy unit in Bolesławiec, so that women after exhausting treatment would not have to travel home from as far away as Legnica or Szklarska Poręba.
However, all this depends on support—from both officials and sponsors. And this is what the members of the Bolesławiec Amazons’ Club are appealing for. “You never know what situation you may find yourself in. Cancer is becoming increasingly common,” says Maria Klimas. “Those who are healthy now should also think about those who are currently going through this disease.”
Detailed information about the Bolesławiec Amazons’ Club can be obtained by calling +48 75 644 40 19. You can also write to: amazonkibol@op.pl.
(GA report)