Member Stories
Robin Russ
It's sometimes hard to remember that cancer affects us all, no matter our age. One of the biggest shocks for Robin was her cancer diagnosis at age 37. She found a lump in her breast at a time when she thought she didn't need to worry about cancer. She was in denial. She was scared and she was stubborn.
Robin started chemo, but became extremely ill from the side effects and quit the treatment. She refused to try again. Around the same time, she found a Gilda's Club Westchester brochure in her surgeon's office. She came to Gilda's Club Westchester and joined the In the Pink group that met here at the time. It was through this group that she found the tough love she needed to go back to her doctor and find a treatment that worked for her. Robin has been cancer free for almost three years now.
"I learned so much by coming to Gilda's, it was such a saving grace," explained Robin. "I only wish I had known about it from the beginning and had been able to get the answers, information and support I needed."
Robin started coming to everything Gilda's Club Westchester offered, lectures to gain information, cooking classes to learn how to eat healthier and groups for experiences and support. She found that the monthly breast cancer group worked best for her; it was the group to which she could really relate. Robin still attends the breast cancer networking group where she meets with a fun group of women, ranging in age from 30s to 80s, who love to get together and share and laugh.
Understanding the importance of the welcoming community that Gilda's Club Westchester offers, Robin now wants to give back in anyway she can and help others the way Gilda's has helped her. She started volunteering last summer and during her training, met a woman who had been diagnosed with cancer, but did not want to become a member. After discussing the importance of the support and information offered at Gilda's Club Westchester, the woman has now joined Gilda's Club Westchester as a member. "I wish I had someone who had told me about Gilda's," Robin said.
"When I first came to Gilda's, I was so miserable, scared and depressed. I was shocked to see so many happy people. It is such a welcoming community and I have met some of the kindest and most genuine people I have ever known. I realize how precious life is."
Robin attends the monthly breast cancer networking group, is an avid volunteer and a member of the Gilda's Club Westchester Young Adult Leadership Council.
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