Macon Magazine

O C TO B E R / N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9 | M ACO N M AG A Z I N E.CO M 6 9 "When I ask patients we have referred about United in Pink, their faces light up," she said. "ey talk about how much love and support they receive through the staff and other patients, not only for themselves, but their family as well. What United in Pink offers our patients is priceless." FROM VICTIM TO VOLUNTEER "When someone supports you the way this organization does, it makes you feel like you can accomplish anything," said Katie Croft, a Lizella survivor. "ey make it their mission to make sure not only that you're okay, but that your family is as well." Croft first discovered the lump in her breast in December 2017, shortly after her third son was born. "At first I thought it was a clogged milk duct," she said, adding that it turned out to be a malignant tumor, which already had spread to her lymph nodes. Croft was officially diagnosed with breast cancer on Dec. 26, 2017, and began her treatment by having a port placed for chemotherapy. By the time she had completed four-and-a-half months of chemo, her immune system was weak. "I was a frequent flyer in the ER," she said. "I developed pneumonia once and had to spend a week in the hospital just days before my double mastectomy." Croft also had 33 radiation treatments, followed by an oophorectomy and multiple reconstruction surgeries. She first learned about United in Pink from a friend, a fellow survivor. "At the beginning of my treatment I didn't reach out to them because I was in what I call 'fight or flight mode' and I just wanted to do my treatments and focus on being cancer-free," she said. "It wasn't until things started to slow down during my radiation treatments that I reached out. From then on, they were my family." United in Pink checks up on Croft frequently. "ey made sure my family had meals when I was recovering from surgery, they send me cards in the mail just for encouragement, and when my father passed away in June – yes, United in Pink was there for me then, too," she said. e organization fills a void for patients and families of those being treated or diagnosed, or survivors of breast cancer, said Dr. Arnold Conforti, surgical oncologist at Navicent Health. "e void it fills has to do not with the medical treatment and needs of the patient, but with the social and emotional burdens imposed by the diagnosis of breast cancer," he said. "United in Pink addresses the patient's needs, their significant other's needs and their children's needs." Established in February, UIP's Pink Bridge program helps offset the financial burden for families in active treatment, and already has awarded more than $34,000 to families in need. From helping offset medical costs and living expenses to providing compression garments, all of the assistance has made a tremendous impact because the program is able to provide up to $2,500 per family, Paxton said. SHIF TING THE CANCER NARRATIVE e impact of this holistic help, beyond the medical work, is shifting the narrative of life with and after breast cancer, for both survivors and their families. "United in Pink sees the many layers of a survivor, and is seeking to help with the internal impact. We offer tangible items like wigs, caps or comfort items, meal deliveries and such, but often what is most remembered are the encouraging and validating words and the community of others who 'get it,' " Paxton said. Some of those individuals are breast cancer survivors who also volunteer with United in Pink, creating an even stronger sense of connection to the patients it serves. Croft is one of those special people. "She finds more joy in serving than in being served," Paxton said. "While she has endured so much from her diagnosis, you will never see her without a smile on her face pushing forward. Her focus is not on what is happening with her, but on how she can help the next person." Croft recently co-chaired a large fundraising campaign at her workplace to ensure as many employees were aware of and had an opportunity to support United in Pink. "It really means a lot that most of the volunteers with this organization are breast cancer survivors themselves," said Teresa SUBMITTED PHOTO PINK VEGAS | SUBMITTED PHOTO

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