The Road to Tatamagouche

By Shelagh Brown & Ilse Shea

Last Updated: Oct 3, 2005
Articles & News : Articles : Conferences & Workshop Reports

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Shelagh's story:

Shelagh (center) with lei

This September, 2005, I return to Tatamagouche  for my third year at the Women Alike Breast Cancer Retreat, and looking back I feel truly blessed by the experiences.

The first year I attended the Retreat I had just completed treatment and felt very alone, wondering if I truly had a future.  Despite knowing no one I registered for the Retreat unaware of what I was about to experience, but drawn by some inexplicable force.

The wonderful smell of Tim Horton’s coffee greeted me as I drew up to the main lodge to lots of smiling faces and lots of pink items for sale. In a short while as fellow survivors arrived I was amazed at the the joy, happiness and obvious zest for life from the women.

I laughed and cried  as Christine Clifford  spoke of her experiences with cancer, but to me the highlight of the first night was us girls sitting in our PJ’s around the fire, singing, laughing and reaching out  to those in need. I had questions about reconstruction and without hesitation I was shown several examples. One of the reasons I had gone to the Retreat was in the hopes of meeting Rose from Breast Cancer Action Nova Scotia (BCANS).  Rose was there!

I came away a changed person, renewed and hopeful, but in typical fashion for me, I drove straight from the Retreat to Emergency with a very swollen leg and a possible blood clot. That was the end of Tamoxifen for me. The poor doctor at the Emergency Department must have thought I had been drinking as I talked non-stop about the Retreat.

By the time I went to the second year of the retreat, I had joined BCANS and have been privileged to meet so many more survivors.  But I didn’t realize as I packed my bag for the Retreat that I was to meet a very special lady on the Road to Tatamagouche or rather at the Superstore in Bedford.  Brenda Whittle, the organizer of the Retreat, had called and asked if I had room for one more in my car, so we picked up Ilse. From the moment she got into the car we never stopped talking and a bond was formed forever. It was obvious she had a sense of humour because my hubby had forgotten to gas up before we left Halifax, so we were within a hair’s breath of pushing the car to Tatamacoughe that afternoon. Ilse has become a treasured friend and my partner of what BCANS calls “The Dynamic Duo.”  We have shared lots of special moments since then.

Elaine and Ilse

This third Retreat, Ilse and I will be traveling with a new BCANS member, Elaine.  Elaine was diagnosed in January of 2005 and this will be her first Retreat in Tatamagouche.

Ilse's story:

Last September Was a Defining Moment in My Life. I met Brenda Whittle in the Sunshine Room in September 2003, where I was waiting for my last chemotherapy appointment.  It was there that she told me about the Women Alike Breast Cancer Retreat. It just so happened that Brenda had photos of the Retreat, which had just taken place.  Brenda showed me some pictures of women sitting around a campfire in their PJ's.  When I saw these photos I felt an immediate connection with these women and knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.

As September 2004 approached I thought about the Retreat often and decided to put my fears and reservations aside, and went to the BCANS Website to find Brenda's number.  Even though I would not know a soul I called her and registered for the Retreat. Brenda called me a couple of days before the Retreat and asked if I wanted a drive with someone. I thought that this would be a great opportunity to meet someone before arriving.  That is how I met Shelagh Brown, and my life changed from that moment on.

Shelagh and I hit it off right from the start. Our ride in the car with her husband, who almost ran out of gas, is still something we laugh about. When we arrived at the Retreat she introduced me to some women from BCANS and lots of friendships and life bonds were made that day. The Retreat for me was where I realized I was not alone; there were so many survivors that had the same thoughts and emotions as I was going through. Being with these women has helped me get over my day-to-day anxiety and go on with everyday living, now knowing there is life after breast cancer.

I am looking forward to this year's Retreat because now not only am I in a better place with my experience with breast cancer, I am able to share these experiences to help others. I truly view myself as a survivor.  At this year’s Retreat I will have a chance to give back hope to the new women attending, as last year’s women gave to me.

I want to thank Brenda for everything she does for breast cancer survivors and to personally thank her for being instrumental (even though she didn't realize it) in the bringing together of two women with similar souls. She has giving me a very special friendship that will last a lifetime and enrich my life so much.

We have become more than two survivors we have become friends.

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