Liz Robinson-Chan learned about Waterford Place Cancer Resource Center shortly after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. She soon considered them her second family.
From the moment she called, she was welcomed with open arms.
“Waterford Place staff were polite, professional and courteous,” she remembers. When she visited the center, they made sure she was comfortable and offered her snacks and water.
“We need programs like Waterford Place,” she says. “I’m glad they exist.”
Help for anyone affected by cancer
Waterford Place provides services and support, free of charge, to anyone affected by a cancer diagnosis. This includes support groups, education and wellness programs like yoga, mindfulness and meditation programs to help reduce stress, salon services and the area’s largest wig boutique.
Liz first went to Waterford Place for the oncology massage — specialized massage to decrease treatment-related side effects and reduce stress and pain. Because cancer and cancer treatment often affect a person’s lymphatic system, the oncology massage is especially helpful.
Then, she attended cooking demonstrations and learned to make healthier versions of favorite foods.
When she lost her hair from chemotherapy, she attended the Simply Beautiful Hair class. She learned ways to tie and wear a scarf as a head covering and also how to select a wig. And she got a free wig. This gave her options and different looks for when she returned to work.
“I never thought I would lose all my hair,” Liz says. “The wig and the class helped me build my self-esteem. I could hold my head up.”
Liz also attended the Simply Beautiful Skin class to learn about safe makeup products and how to manage skin changes during cancer treatment. It made her feel like a new person.
The group classes were attended by others going through cancer treatment. “We were all in the same position,” she says. “We got to know one another. It was refreshing. We laughed and joked.”
For survivors, too
Liz’s cancer treatments included surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, and the treatments sometimes made her sick. When she was unable to attend programs, Waterford Place staff called to check on her.
“They became my second family,” she says.
Now a cancer survivor, Liz continues to visit Waterford Place for massage therapy.
“The relationship with Waterford Place doesn’t end when you’re better,” she says. “They welcome survivors, too.”
Liz credits Waterford Place with improving her overall health and wellness and her self-esteem.
She learned, “It’s OK if these are the cards you’re dealt. Just because you fall down, it doesn’t mean you’re supposed to stay there.”
Waterford Place helped her to move on with her life and back to a sense of normalcy.
She recommends the center to anyone affected by cancer.
“It’s a necessity,” she says. “They help you feel better about yourself and improve your confidence. They will help you just the way they helped me.”
