Women’s Wellness Series
Making a difference in the lives of women with breast cancer.
It’s one thing to know that we ought to eat a healthy diet and exercise. It’s another to change our lifestyle and put that knowledge into daily practice. And it’s yet another entirely to inspire others to do the same in their lives. But Eileen Z. Fuentes has managed to accomplish all of the above through the Women’s Wellness Series, an inspiring and unique program aimed at helping women with breast cancer to become as healthy as they can possibly be.
When she became a breast cancer patient three years ago, Eileen – an employee of Columbia University — suddenly discovered what it was like to be on the patient’s side of the desk. She recalls that while the care she received at the Breast Surgery Section was wonderful, certain elements of support fell short, even in this world-class institution, and even for a knowledgeable, proactive person like herself. “I wanted to know what else I could do to help recover from breast cancer besides follow the treatments that my doctor advised,” she says. “I knew there had to be things I could do in addition to what my doctors prescribed – things to help become stronger, healthier, or things to alleviate side effects of my treatments, for instance.” She also realized that for patients whose first language was not English, the challenges were even more pronounced. In a personal quest to meet these needs, Eileen independently completed trainings in holistic nutrition and lifestyle modifications, including eating to beat cancer. She also pursued training in patient navigation, with an eye toward helping others by bridging some of the gaps she faced as a patient.
The fruit of her quest has blossomed into the Women’s Wellness Series, a very unique program held at Columbia University’s Clinical Breast Cancer Program for women with (or survivors of) breast cancer. The first series, held October 2010-April 2011, included weekly meetings and monthly yoga classes. Free to all participants, the meetings included many sessions about holistic nutrition, explaining how foods could be used to help prevent cancer. Information was provided in both English and Spanish. “Our goal was to serve underserved women, such as those who could no longer work due to their illness.”
As a survivor herself, Eileen was able to not only share information, but compassion and inspiration. She was able to convey not just why certain foods are good for us, but show the women how they could cook them in their own homes, in ways that taste good. She explains that before attending the series, women from some cultural groups had never been exposed to mushrooms or cruciferous vegetables. So after Eileen presented data from scientific studies about why those foods are so important in fighting cancer, a professional chef demonstrated how to prepare them.
In addition a cooking demonstration, numerous special guests shared their expertise during the six-month series, including a yoga teacher, a chi kung practitioner, a Zumba teacher, members of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, a reiki practitioner, a massage therapist, and others. In order to keep the series free for participants, these professionals all provided their services at no charge to the group.
The concept behind the series clearly worked for the women, most of whom continue to stay in touch with Eileen about their progress. “I recently ran into one of the women from our group. She is a low-income person, on welfare, and she was buying kale from the farmer’s market,” says Eileen. “That was fantastic to see.” Indeed, post-series surveys indicate that most of the participants have continued to adhere to lifestyle changes they adopted as a result of the series, such as eating whole foods, including greens in their diets, and exercising – changes that not only have enhanced their well-being now, but could contribute to staying cancer-free in the long term.
The 2012 Women’s Wellness Series will begin in January. Anyone interested in attending the series should contact Kris Smith at 212.342.3911 or ks2666@columbia.edu.
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