| Benefit: Improved Self-Management |
| Better health behaviors |
“What is good is that I learned how to better take care of myself, perform self-exams, and try to eat a little healthier.”- Participant 3005 |
| Improved self-esteem/insight |
“The program changed me because I understood that I needed to learn to survive with cancer and accept myself as I am.”- Participant 5002 |
| “It made me understand and accept my illness. I learned to be patient with myself as well.”- Participant 5002 |
| Improved ability to recognize and manage stress |
“The breathing techniques helped a lot. I still use them when I start to feel tension in my shoulders.”-Participant 1020 |
| Benefit: Improved Knowledge |
| Greater patient engagement |
“I learned that every time I go to the doctor, I have a right to ask about everything that bothers me. Now I always make sure to keep in mind the things I will ask my doctor.”- Participant 3005 |
| “I started making a list of questions because I used to go (to the clinic) and I would forget to ask what I wanted to know.”- Participant 5025 |
| Increased knowledge about cancer |
“The information about cancer and cancer treatment helped me a great deal because there was a lot of information and I was able to understand it. It helped me understand the risks after chemotherapy. It also helped me understand my body better.”- Participant 5002 |
| Benefit: Improved Communication Skills |
| With family members |
“The program helped me a lot to prepare for the operation. It helped me understand the illness and helped me talk more clearly and without fear to my family and friends about it.” – Participant 5025 |
| With peer support counselor |
“Meeting in person with the peer support counselor every week helped me tremendously because I was fearful and I had a lot to ask her.”- Participant 7011 |
| Benefit: Improved Mood/Hope |
| Survivor-delivery of intervention promoted hope |
“I liked it a lot- emotionally, I needed it. Meeting with this woman who helped me a lot and was a survivor herself, helped me a great deal. I always looked forward to her visits. It helped me feel like there was finally light, there was something good.”-Participant 1008 |
| Improved mood |
“The program changed me because it put me in higher spirits, made me happier, and helped me think positive thoughts so I could push forward and fight.”- Participant 9508 |
| Cultural Factors |
| Confianza (Trust) |
“(The peer support counselor) seems like a good person to me. I liked her because she was patient and you trusted her. She seemed like family. Sometimes there are people who you do not trust, but I trusted her. I think it was because she told me that she too, went through the same thing as me, and I think that gave me more courage to go through with this.” – Participant 6010 |
| Suggestions for Program Improvements |
| Longer sessions |
“What I would change about the program is that we get more time- not time for information sessions, but time to chat with the peer support counselor.”- Participant 5025 |
| Family support |
“I would have liked it if there was a group or program for the children of us women who suffer from cancer.” – Participant 5002 |
| Program Delivery Challenges |
| Limited literacy |
“I had a patient who could hardly read and write. Her vision was failing her as well, so I would read and explain the material to her. I also encouraged her family members to help her, but they wouldn't. So we worked together every week to complete the homework.” – Compañera 0001 |
| Medical terminology |
“What was difficult for me was the section about the doctors. They were all new words to me, words that I had never heard of.”- Participant 6010 |
