WHEN DEBORAH YAGER was first diagnosed with cancer about four years ago, she was, like millions before her, understandably gripped by uncertainty and fear.
The now-71-year-old Castro Valley resident was tired but otherwise asymptomatic and had no idea that a CT scan for an unrelated medical concern would reveal a growing endometrial cancer.
“It was discovered on a fluke,” Yager said. “When you become a cancer patient, for most of us, it is just such a shock and throws everything up in the air about what you’re going to do with your life and it’s very scary.”
Early on, she ended up undergoing surgery and doing “heavy duty chemotherapy.”
“I call that whole stage ‘free fall,’” she said. “You feel like everything’s out of your control and you’re trying to get a foothold or a handhold to stop and think and try to figure everything out.”
That’s when Yager wishes she would have first learned about the Berkeley-based Women’s Cancer Resource Center, a nearly 40-year-old organization dedicated to helping patients in Contra Costa and Alameda counites that on Wednesday announced a major expansion.
Instead, she traversed her first year as a cancer patient like many people do, building up a support system of friends and family and navigating the maddening complexities of the American health care system while trying to maintain a positive outlook.
“It wasn’t until about a year after my initial diagnosis that I learned about the Women’s Cancer Resource Center,” Yager said.
WCRC put her in contact with a metastatic cancer support group that meets weekly and it fundamentally changed her life.
“That support was the one that made the difference for me, being able to go through this journey with other women walking the same path,” she said.
Additionally, Yager said she has benefited from WCRC’s food programs, where people learn how to cook nutrient-rich meals, and has been impressed with its other offerings, including yoga, drawing and other kinds of classes.
“It’s the most wonderful, loving, kind environment and they make themselves available to the people who need it most, reaching out in the best ways to women, women of color, women of low income,” Yager said. “They are truly committed to helping the people who need it most.”
Similar experiences and a wide array of programs and services will soon be expanded throughout the East Bay thanks in part to a recent $2.5 million grant from the Action for Women’s Health fund, which aims to improve women’s mental and physical health globally.
“We will be focusing on the expansion of our services where people have a harder time accessing services and increasing our capacity to serve more people,” WCRC executive director Amy Alanes said Wednesday.
The money will help WCRC “deepen navigation services for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and broaden wellness offerings” across the region, according to the organization’s announcement.
It will also help WCRC intensify its focus on communities with higher rates of cancer and a paucity of services, like Antioch, Pittsburg and Bay Point, and key areas in East and West Oakland, including the Fruitvale neighborhood.
The grant will support WCRC’s ability to provide free counseling, patient navigation, support groups, wellness classes, and other types of assistance for women and caregivers impacted by cancer, including emotional support, reliable information and help in navigating health systems.
The organization currently provides such services to roughly 1,500 clients every year and in the coming months plans “to embed services within hospitals and community sites” so it can reach more women throughout its service area, according to the announcement.
A lifeline as need grows
The need, it seems, is urgent as more than 34,000 women are living with cancer in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, according to WCRC. While the two counties make up only 36 percent of the Bay Area’s population, they account for 41 percent of the region’s women living with cancer, and Contra Costa County has the highest women’s cancer mortality rate in the Bay Area.
“This is a transformational grant that will allow us to scale up our operation to serve more women,” Alanes said. “We really are a sacred space for people to get support and we prioritize underrepresented women who have less access to care and support.”
While the fresh infusion of funds is a key element in the organization’s expansion plans, the need for additional support is ongoing.
“There’s still a need for our operating budget, a need for us to raise money to pay for our day-to-day, all of the staff that provide direct program support,” Alanes said. “Sometimes the misconception is that the money isn’t needed anymore and that’s very far from the truth.”
For more information about WCRC, people can visit www.wcrc.org.
The post East Bay Women’s Cancer Resource Center set for major expansion after grant approval appeared first on Local News Matters.