The CSRA GYN Cancer Support Group Foundation held its annual Spa Day in Evans, Wednesday morning, providing survivors in recovery a little luxury.
“It’s just a day of showing them hey, ‘We know you’re still a woman, we know that you still deserve to be pampered,’” said Suzanne Bedichek, a triage nurse at the Georgia Cancer Center. “You work hard, you fought hard. You deserve that.”
Each September, the Support Group invites women undergoing treatment at the Georgia Cancer Center for gynecological cancers — such as ovarian, cervical or endometrial cancer — to a day of relaxation. This year, the patients had their choice of either getting massages and facials at Rosewater Spa and Wellness, or manicures and pedicures at Luxury Nails, followed by a gourmet lunch and gathering at the Cork & Flame restaurant, all free of charge.
Bedichek is a survivor herself, having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer some six months after she began working at the Center.
“Until you’ve been through it yourself, you really can’t understand what patients are going through,” she said, speaking on how events like spa day provide something of an oasis from the daily struggle of being in treatment, and even contributes to the recovery process. “You don’t have to sit down and say, ‘I’ve got to go for fusion [therapy] today,’ or ‘I’ve got to go for this lab today,’ or ‘for this appointment’… You’re doing something enjoyable, instead of sitting in a doctor’s office.”
Dr. Sharad Ghamande, chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a professor of gynecologic oncology at the Medical College of Georgia, founded Support Group in 2004 to facilitate space to women with gyn cancers to talk about the issues that affected them.
Through fundraising, the nonprofit organization began offering events for patients to participate in, such as Spa Day, as well as an annual holiday party and a field trip to see “Menopause: The Musical.”
The Support Group, which holds meetings every month, fosters fellowship and camaraderie among patients and survivors, said Janet Miller, who is also in remission from ovarian cancer.
“It’s a personal thing. We look forward to seeing each other each month,” said Miller. “We all can ask each other questions, and we all help one another in that way: somebody might have a little hint as to what might help you with a situation. And that means a lot to our recovery and our remission.”
Gynecological cancers, as well as the treatments for them, tend to affect organs in ways that often affect self-image, said Dr. Bunja Rungruang, Section Chief of Gynecological Oncology at MCG. Chemotherapy usually results in hair loss, and changes to the skin and nails. The companionship offered in the Support Group complements a day set aside to allow survivors and patients to pamper themselves.
For more information on the CSRA GYN Cancer Support Group, visit its website at https://www.csragynsupportgroup.com/.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
