Having a good buddy can mean everything, especially when that person knows what you are going through because they have been there too. A Saint Louis University doctoral student determined the impact is meaningful among breast cancer survival.
Shannon Nicks recently completed her Ph.D. in Public Health Studies with a concentration in behavioral science and health education at Saint Louis University.
Through her work at Center for Cancer Prevention Research and Outreach to evaluate center activities and programs, along with her interest in breast cancer health disparities, Nicks learned a lot about The Breakfast Club and its founder, Sherrill Jackson.
It led to her dissertation, “Examining mechanisms of peer support and effects on survivorship outcomes for African American women with breast cancer.” She assessed the quality of peer relationships in the Breakfast Club’s Breast Health Buddy program and its impact on survivors of club members compared to breast cancer survivors who are not members. The Health Buddy program pairs a breast cancer survivor with a newly diagnosed woman. It is one-on-one support to help alleviate fear, to be a shoulder to cry on, and a companion to accompany the woman to medical treatments. Buddies also assist women in finding other resources and support during breast cancer treatment and recovery.
Nicks said it helped her understand how their programs worked and what the benefits might be for African American breast cancer survivors who receive the organization’s support.
“We found that those relationships really function to provide consistent and quality social support, in addition to, or even in the absence of support from other relationships in one’s social network,” Nicks said. “Existing dynamics with family or friends, whether those are good or bad, the relationships that form in The Breakfast Club offer ongoing support in a way that others aren’t able to because of those shared experiences.”
Her research involved observations of meetings and interviews with breast cancer survivors who had a buddy partners compared to unaffiliated African American breast cancer survivors who were recruited from Saint Louis University Breast Oncology clinic. The non-Breakfast Club members only had social support available through existing relationships and sources. Nicks said there were differences between the two groups.
“It really seemed to be around having alternative sources to turn to for support and a willingness and ability to sort of acknowledge the emotional toll of breast cancer and have those emotions validated and processed,” Nicks described, “and, having them validated and acknowledged in a way that allowed the women who are part of the Breakfast Club to process those things, so that it did not take such a toll on their mental health, their emotional health, and in some cases, their overall quality of life.”
Nicks said the organization was looking for evidence-based data to support the work they are doing in the community – including breast health education, outreach, peer support, facilitating free mammograms for the uninsured/under insured, bras, breast forms, and comfort kits for women undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
“There is not a lot of information about African American women being diagnosed with breast cancer, how they deal with treatments, feelings during their journey, how they feel about the medical company, family issues and how they sometimes have to balance work, and the effects of cancer treatments,” Jackson said. “This was a great example of how universities can work with community organizations to further their mission and provide useful information for future funding.”
“They’ve been around 20 years doing this type of work and that longevity and their success implies that they really have a wealth of knowledge and expertise about providing social support services to African American women in particular, with breast cancer,” Nicks said.
An urgent family situation out of town caused Nicks to miss her graduation at SLU. Upon her return, Nicks came to a meeting to share her study findings. The Breakfast Club became a “buddy” to Nicks by surprising her with a one-on-one graduation, with the help of her mentor, SLU professor Ricardo Wray, Ph.D.
“I got hooded there and it was just a nice gesture that was very special to me because I did not get the opportunity with the rest of my cohort that was graduating,” she said.
“Her graduation was recreated at The Breakfast Club support meeting at Centennial Christian Church, 4950 Foundation, where the Breakfast Club meets,” Jackson added.
For more information about The Breakfast Club’s services and activities, visit http://www.breakfastclub-stl.org.
