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October 30, 2009

Cancer fighting Miracle

Survivor co-founds Knox support group

By Becky Manley / Staff Writer

When Rita Miracle told her husband she had breast cancer, she saw the terror on his face.

Then Miracle told her children, even though she knew they feared she might die.

Miracle, who is now cancer-free following surgery and treatment after her 2008 diagnosis, knows people battling breast cancer who might hesitate to share their fears with family can find an outlet with a support group.

That awareness led Miracle to co-found a Barbourville support group. It is one of several groups that aim to help cancer patients through a frightening ordeal.

The group Miracle co-founded — the Knox County Women’s Cancer Support Group — provides participants with an emotional outlet as well as the chance to learn important medical information and coping tips.

“It’s much easier to talk to someone who’s going through the same thing you’re going through,” Miracle said. “You’re more open with each other.”

Miracle, who is the disaster preparedness coordinator for the Knox County Health Department, said her group’s meetings are called “Ladies Night Out.”

The group’s other co-founder, Jerri Campbell, 46, is a registered nurse who works with Miracle at the Knox County Health Department.

Campbell was diagnosed with breast cancer about six months after Miracle’s diagnosis.

While both women credit their faith for giving them peace during their battles with cancer, both said they found reassurance during support meetings, particularly when they saw breast cancer survivors who remained cancer-free for many years.

Miracle said the laughter and tears shared during the meetings can help people following a frightening and life-threatening diagnosis.

“That’s the hardest thing a woman has to hear in her life,” Miracle said.

The Tri-County Cancer Coalition provides a support group as well as financial help to the needy for supplies like wigs, breast prothesis and transportation.

Knox County Women’s Cancer Support Group Ladies Night Out meets monthly. For information about the next meeting, call Rita Miracle or Jerri Campbell at 546-3486.

For information about the Tri-County Cancer Coalition, which covers Knox, Laurel and Whitley counties, and the Knox County Cancer Patient Fund, call your county’s health department: Whitley County 549-3380, Knox County 546-3486 and Laurel County 864-5187.

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