WebMD.com and BreastCancer.org Helped Me Through My Breast Cancer Battle

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in October, 2003, I was 39 years old, had a full-time job and a 7-month-old baby. I barely had time to breathe as I made my way between doctor's appointments, chemotherapy sessions and recovery from surgery. Getting diagnosed with cancer is a full-time job. I needed support, but I needed support on my own time. So I went online and found the support that I needed via online support groups.

You would think that talking to a bunch of strangers in an online support group would be cold and impersonal, and I guess during my first visits to the breast cancer online support groups, it was. But over time you build up this amazing bond with people you have never met. When you share something so personal, the constant fears of life-threatening illness, the impact it has on relationships, and on your overall life, you share things so intimate that there is no choice but to consider these people your close confidantes.

My first experience with online support groups was with the amazing breast cancer survivors from WebMD Breast Cancer Friend to Friend. This is a small group of women who post with each other to provide support and encouragement. For me, these were people in the know. Only they could answer questions like "what should I bring to my mastectomy surgery?" or "when do you think I can physically pick up my son?". The latter was a question I must have asked my plastic surgeon 25 times without ever getting a real answer. But my online support group friends told me that I wouldn't be able to pick him up for at least a month after my surgery. Who do you talk to when all of your hair falls out? Balding men can only sympathize so much.