WHEN Melissa Chapman finished her cancer treatment, she felt she was in a worse situation than when she was diagnosed.
“I had no chemotherapy or radiation protecting me, and it was up to my body to do its job and keep this thing away,” she told the Gazette in May.
Like many who have been diagnosed and treated for cancer, the mum-of-four lives not only with the anxiety of the disease returning, but the fact she has changed as a person because of it.
But Ms Chapman - who lives in Pitt Town - was treated to a three-day reprieve in August, when she attended Maraylya’s Billabong Retreat for a specialised program hosted by local cancer charity Pink Finss.
Ms Chapman was one of 14 local women who attended the two-night program, that included yoga, meditation, mindfulness, organic food and expert speakers.
“It was awesome,” Ms Chapman said. “It was a really good three days to get away and chill-out from home life and all the other focuses in life and just worry about myself really - that’s all I had to concentrate on, which was really good.”
The ladies did belly dancing and art therapy classes, enjoyed massages, made goal boards, and also attended a cooking class - all designed to nourish their minds and bodies and teach them techniques to help them cope better in their everyday lives.
Ms Chapman said one of the most useful things she learnt was strategies to cope with managing anxiety.
“We had a session with a lady named Bernadette from Petrea King’s Quest, and she talked about how to question people, how to use strategies to get better responses from people,” she said.
“With my kids [who are aged between six and 18] I often struggle to get my message across to them calmly. We learnt four things: to use the words ‘I noticed’, ‘I imagine’, ‘I feel’ and ‘I need’.
“So now, if my children don’t pick up their plate from the table, I say ‘I’ve noticed you haven’t removed your plate from the table. I imagine you really enjoyed your dinner and would like dinner tomorrow night. I feel you really want to do that but you forgot. Now I need you to do that.
“That was such a gold piece of information for me to learn, because I use it at home all the time now, with success!
“It taught us a strategy to make life easier and focus on ourselves before we help the people around us.”
Ms Chapman got a lot out of the on-site cooking class, as well as eating healthy, plant-based foods during her stay.
“I feel very revitalised. Afterwards I felt I could deal with things that little bit better. I’ve been taking on board the things I’ve learnt with my children, and learning to put myself first a little bit more,” she said.
“And on the food side of things, learning to cook that little bit healthier and introduce new things to the family.
“I really, thoroughly enjoyed the retreat and would definitely go back and do it again if the money or the opportunity came up.”
Pink Finss helps women suffering from a range of cancers and the charity has been hosting the retreats since last year.
It costs an average $1,500 per person to host the retreat, and Pink Finss relies on donations to offer the program.
The charity’s event manager Kym Burton said the idea behind the retreat is to pamper the ladies and also to provide them with tools to help them on their journeys.
She thanked Richmond Residential who also donated $3000 for the second year in a row, as well as this newspaper for donating $5000.
“We wouldn’t be able to run programs like this if not for the generosity of the Hawkesbury Community,” she said.
On average, one to two new ladies per month come to Pink Finss seeking support and up to 20 have approached the group over the last 12 to 18 months.
Support group meetings have grown from five attendees per month in 2010 to about 30 per month this year.
To make a donation to the charity or help sponsor someone for the retreat, go to www.pinkfinss.com.au.