Carpe Diem! Our Adventure Program encompasses both indoor and outdoor activities that help to empower participants to thrive, believe in their own mental and physical strength, face their fears in a safe supportive environment and have lots of fun! We meet each and every participant exactly where they are in their physical abilities and make as many accommodations as possible so that we can include participants at varying degrees of physical abilities.
An article from Oncology Nursing News,(June 2023), confirms what we as thrivers already know. Outdoor settings such as blue and green spaces “promote many benefits to patients throughout recovery from a cancer diagnosis.” Opportunities like those provided from our Adventure program help to build “social involvement and support, opportunities to build self-esteem, self-confidence, self-efficacy, as well as physical activity. Patients with cancer often face physical and emotional changes with a diagnosis and through subsequent treatment, which can impact self-esteem and self-confidence.”
Opportunities provided by Breast Friends through the Adventure Program help participants to come back into their bodies, gain confidence, connect with others who truly understand what they’ve been through and are so much more than a guided hike, or trip to the river for kayaking. It is often the case that most people along for one of our adventures have never done anything like it before. We work hard to be sure that everyone feels supported, safe and confident when adventuring with us.
“Normally I wouldn’t be brave enough to try something like this but that’s the beauty of breast friends Adventure Program. Being with this group takes away so many of my roadblocks. I don’t worry about if I can’t make it, if I’m the slowest or that I have never done it before, I know I’ll be ok. I don’t know this body and doing adventures like this help me understand that just because I don’t move like I used to doesn’t mean I should stop moving or stop trying. This body is still capable of so many things. Every step I took that day helped me overcome fear. Thank you so much for these priceless opportunities. They make such a difference.”
Jayme Logan
“I have been living with metastatic cancer for almost 7 years.Two years ago I started having issues with the compounded effects of the long term use of these drugs. My feet are always swollen and burning and limit how far I can walk. My hips and knees ache and prevent me from taking the stairs a lot of the time. I have constant mouth sores, soul crushing fatigue and a short walk leaves me breathless. I have been resigned to chair exercises most days. I am constantly trying to push myself and regain my mobility and I have seen some improvements, but I have zero support. I went on this adventure knowing I was going to hold everyone back, but I just want to live and be accepted for where I am – I did not want to accept that I could or should not go – and I got so much on the snow shoeing trip. When I couldn’t breathe, I bent over to put on my gear – someone helped me with kindness, I took up the rear of the line, but I wasn’t alone and nobody complained. I went back to the van before everyone else and nobody looked at me sideways. In fact most people congratulated me on a job well done and offered to return my gear at the end so I didn’t have to get up. I was so proud of myself for how far I made it and the cheers and support and kindness allowed me to feel proud instead of embarrassed. This was a great day for me and it led to me making the choice to spend more time with people who accept me in the future.”
Opportunities take place periodically throughout the year. If you’d like to participate, please check our calendar for upcoming adventures. If you would like to partner with us to provide an Adventure Experience to the Breast Friends community we’d love to hear from you. For all questions regarding this program please contact Katje Johnson Jacobs at katjejohnsonjacobs@breastfriends.org
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Breast Friends is a 501(c)3 nonprofit Tax ID #93-1320871
