The Importance of a Cancer Support Group - A Kriste Hurd’s Cancer Story

One morning, while Kriste was drinking her coffee and talking to her grandchildren, she rubbed her breasts–as what women normally do–and felt a double-sized pea on it.

Even it was a day right before her 45th birthday in January 2020, she immediately called and visited her doctor. She was then advised to do a mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy to further check it.

As scheduled, she still went on a trip to celebrate her birthday and two weeks later, they went off again to celebrate her husband’s birthday in Chicago.

When they returned home, she received a phone call that nobody wants to receive. It was her doctor who informed her she was positive for cancer.

It was such a disheartening news not only for her but also for her family, friends, and everybody that loves and surrounds her.

She felt a whirlwind of emotions. However, she was brave enough and started her never-ending appointments, surgery, port placements, blood works, and chemotherapy.

She was up for her goal to become well and better, to be able to come over to her daughter in Pennsylvania for the birth of her ninth grandchild in October.

Cancer or Covid would not stop her from coming over. What a mother’s love!

Kriste had the best support system anyone could ever ask for.

Her ever-supportive husband was there the entire time. Her loving family and friends were amazing and were also there to help her. And her business partners were exceptional, who paid her medical insurance for the whole year, especially that her husband was fired from his job two days after her diagnosis (that’s another story though).

These people went their way to encourage her, supported her in the ways they can lift her during her struggle, and they were one of the reasons why she kept going.

Just to let you know, Kriste’s life was never far from cancer. She was prepared for it.

She met her husband at the Oncology department where her mom does her treatment before dying from that horrible disease.

She was also there for her countless friends and the members of their church, who were also affected because they or their family were diagnosed with cancer.

Even though there is already a modern and sophisticated technology to treat cancer, and she celebrated life, especially with those who survived it, she still feared what cancer can do.

But cancer changed Kriste for the better.

When she had her first chemotherapy appointment, she was shaking with a river of tears from her eyes. But she overcame it.

Day after day, she habitually posted her cancer journey on Facebook claiming, “faith over fear”. It helped her go through the process until she can confidently say she’s no longer afraid.

God touched her life, showed up, and became an anchor for her strength.

Kriste was not moved when his father was also diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer in 2021. She stood firm and ministered faith over fear to her dad and was able to speak with him twice daily.

Kriste became a living testimony that God will never leave you nor forsake you and will send you people who will be there to support you.

Surrounding yourself with people who will walk with you on your cancer journey will make you feel loved and supported.

Joining a cancer support group like “Let’s Talk About It!” is beneficial where you will be able to let your guards down, be yourself, and be able to let it all out because they have been there, or they are also on their treatment process.

You will have a glimpse of hope that if they can survive, you can too!

“Let’s Talk About It!” is a global community who aims to become a Cancer Support Group of diverse individuals, where everybody is welcome regardless of age, gender, social status, and ethnicity.

It aims to become a safe space, especially when cancer hits you, your family, your friends, your colleagues, or someone in your community.

This group desires for its members to build a real relationship by sharing common interest, motivating, and inspiring each other, and carrying out programs that will ease your situation.

Members catch up over Zoom meetings and even face-to-face, not only to be on the loop, but to strengthen the relationship they have built through that group.

Please note that “Let’s Talk About It!” does not offer medical diagnoses, opinions, or advice.

If you want to become part of this group, click HERE and you will be routed to its Facebook Page.

We encourage you to SHARE THIS GROUP because you might help somebody who is suffering on their own.

Feel free to comment, like, and post stuffs that is beneficial and related to the group.