My Experience in the SBC Encourage & Empower Program

By Carol Collins

During my breast cancer treatment, I came across Survivingbreastcancer.org. I soon saw a sign up post for Encourage & Empower, an eight-week program with Gloria Shoon designed specifically for those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (stage 0-III) within the last year.

I was apprehensive about being in a Zoom meeting with people I didn’t know personally. However, Gloria immediately put me at ease! I felt completely comfortable sharing my story and it was so great to meet the other ladies in the group.

Over the eight weeks of the Encourage & Empower Program, we connected with each other over so much more than breast cancer. We chatted almost daily through text and made sure we encouraged each other to see the good in each day. We were all in different stages of our fight, so it was great to hear what others had experienced during specific types of breast cancer treatment.

At the end of the eight weeks, as our scheduled meetings were coming to a close, we all decided we did not want it to just end. We continue to chat now. Gloria and Brenda from my Encourage & Empower cohort will be friends for life.

I finished my last active treatment earlier this year! Those are words I have thought about being able to say for over a year. Does this mean I am “done” with breast cancer? I know that’s what other people think: that life moves on and cancer becomes a thing of the past. I wish it were that simple. What I do know is I have found a wonderful support system in SBC and the Encourage & Empower Program.

Meet the Facilitator, Gloria Shoon:

Gloria is a Breast Cancer Thriver who has explored and continues to explore many adjunct healing modalities. Gloria leads Monday Meditation sessions for SBC Members, and she has been featured on our blog and on our podcast, Breast Cancer Conversations.

She sits on the Hope Spring Cancer Support Centre and Groves Hospital Volunteer Association Board, and a number of committees within these organizations. In addition, she conducts Therapeutic Touch remote sessions for members of Wellington Hospice and HopeSpring Cancer Support Centre.

Learn More:

Read Carol’s Breast Cancer Story on the SBC Blog

Read Gloria’s Breast Cancer Story on the SBC Blog

Read the event description from the early 2023 Encourage & Empower Program

Check out SBC Events for Future Editions of the SBC Encourage & Empower Program

SurvivingBreastCancer.org Resources & Support: