Reach to Recovery volunteer named honorary chair

Martha Moses There are three words that no one wants to hear. They are, you have cancer. If you are diagnosed with breast cancer and live in Leon County your first line of help should be the Reach to Recovery program offered by the American Cancer Society office in Bryan/ College Station. Folks in Leon County are fortunate to have their very own Reach to Recovery volunteer, Ms. Martha Moses.

Martha, a long time employee of the United State Postal Service out of the Marquez office, learned about four years ago she had cancer. In January of 2006, Martha had her annual mammogram, followed quickly by a biopsy and then a lumpectomy. She elected to have a bilateral mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery.

Martha maintains that one of the best things that happened is her surgeon told her to reach out to the American Cancer Society and find out everything she could about different treatment options before making a decision. She contacted the American Cancer Society to find out everything she could about breast cancer and how to treat it. She met with a Reach to Recovery volunteer who helped her understand step by step what she was going to go through with surgery, che- motherapy and reconstruction. After all the information and meetings she made her decisions about treatment and reconstruction.

As soon as Martha was completely fin ished with her reconstruction and had been cancer free she trained to be a Reach to Recovery volunteer. She is the only active Reach to Recovery volunteer in Leon County.

When someone in this area who has been diagnosed with breast cancer contacts the American Cancer Society, Martha contacts that person. She offers them her services as a Reach to Recovery volunteer. She visits with them in their home or by phone about breast cancer and what that means. She often answers the hard questions and is able to be a resource for the person as they go through their cancer journey. Because women often relate better to other women, the Reach to Recovery program is the ideal way to provide answers to a very difficult subject.

When Martha meets with a breast cancer patient she gives them a lots of information and a pillow to use during recovery. Phamplets covering everything from cancer words to chemo and radiation are included along with how to obtain a wig and prosthetic bra at no cost through the American Cancer Society.

Martha said she loves being able to reach out to cancer patients and provide them with a way to find answers and even find any extra help they may need. In addition to Reach to Recovery, the American Cancer Society can help in many other ways and Martha knows who to call and how to get that extra help.

Martha plays a huge role in the life of breast cancer patients in Leon County. Because of that, she has been chosen as the honorary 2010 Relay For Life of Leon County Event Chair. Annually over 100 folks in Leon County are diagnosed with cancer. Martha is able to help a portion of those folks as they struggle to accept the realities of a disease with no cure.

Won’t you join Martha and many others in participating the Relay For Life of Leon County on April 16-17 at Buffalo High’s Brewer Stadium?

For more information about Relay For Life of Leon County please contact Kristy Vandegriff at (903) 388-0270 or Amanda Skelton at (903) 322-1879. For more information about Reach to Recovery contact the American Cancer Society at (979) 776-1464.