Supports groups help cope with breast cancer

Saturday, May 29, 1999 | 10:44 a.m.

Talking openly about a partner or mother with breast cancer may be hard for some people.

To help open the lines of communication, the Nevada School of Medicine in Las Vegas offers free support groups for women with breast cancer and their families.

Groups are available through a grant from the Las Vegas affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Foundation and are part of the Women and Family Support Project.

Many relationships change when a partner, wife or mother has breast cancer, said Josephine Mazzoli, assistant professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine. There is a shift in how they interact with one another.

Mazzoli, who leads the couples groups along with Dr. Tim Gust, became involved after realizing what little support her own mother had when she was fighting breast cancer.

The groups also give the women a chance to talk openly about their issues in a comforting environment. They educate spouses and children on issues the patients struggle with, such as depression and reactions to chemotherapy, Mazzoli said.

Issues among couples vary. While some men become more sensitive and caring, others become more distant and won't face the fact that their partner may die, she said.

Some couples struggle with the topic of death. "This is a place where couples can talk about that," Mazzoli said. In more traditional marriages husbands may struggle with the additional household responsibilities, she said.

The groups are small and range from four to six people.

"It's very powerful. It's very positive," she added. "For some couples, the cancer may bring them closer. With other couples it becomes very frightening and the husband distances himself."

The children's group will be led by family therapist Judy Jacobson and will begin as soon as there are enough children interested.