Holistic Treatment

Molly’s breast cancer treatment left her with many scars. “Treatment for breast cancer feels like a series of concentric circles. First, there is the immediate threat to your life. Next, there is figuring out how to stop this threat: surgery, chemo, or radiation or some combination of all of them. Then, there are the decisions to make about reconstruction. I was lucky enough to have kind, caring doctors who guided me into making the best choices I could. However, when it was all over, I was left with a mess of scars. Scars that any options to hide are costly and not covered by insurance.Through UBCF’s Holistic Care grant, I’m able to get the mastectomy tattoo of my dreams. Thus, I can reclaim my body through the application of art to hide the scars. Not only is this an incredibly generous grant, but the program manager helped guide me through the application process. She answered all of my questions faster than I thought possible and responded with empathy to my experience. Her support through the application process was respectful and empowering, which as one navigates the recovery process is a gift in and of itself.”

Julia was diagnosed with breast cancer at her first routine mammogram. As someone who has always focused on health and happiness, she wanted to treat her breast cancer holistically. Integrative care consists of a culmination of care types including holistic treatment and support services. This has taught Julia not only how to handle her breast cancer but also improve her everyday quality of life. The skills that she has learned to help with her healing has transcended her experience. “I’ve been learning about visual imagery through integrative care. When the pain comes I go to my special place… I wouldn’t have learned that otherwise. I’m so grateful because it’s been helping me with my quality of life in general.” Insurance didn’t cover integrative care for her so finding UBCF a few months ago was a huge relief. UBCF provided Julia with a Holistic Gare grant which she has put towards personalized integrative care treatments. This help has made a huge difference in her diagnosis.

Melissa is a mother from Hawaii who was diagnosed with stage 3B breast cancer and also brain cancer. Her treatments were very invasive and had left her with wounds that did not heal on her own. With these various treatments, nothing seemed to work as well as she had hoped. In addition, her family was facing the financial burden of covid and having to travel for so many treatments. This led Melissa to finding UBCF. UBCF was able to help her find holistic treatments to hopefully help her cancer and lift the side effects of her traditional medicines and treatments. She used hyperbaric oxygen treatments to help heal her wounds that were not healing due to radiation. Melissa also used acupuncture to help deal with the side effects of her medication. The holistic grant that she received has provided her with a sense of normalcy and slight relief from the mental and physical effects of cancer.

Fighting stage IV metastasized breast cancer is not a sprint, rather it’s a marathon and I feel the United Breast Cancer Foundation understands that. With UBCF’s Holistic Care Grant I feel I am not alone on this journey.

The advancement of modern western medicines provides the metastasized breast cancer patient a better chance at a longer life span, however, such benefits come with a trade-off. Usually these medical treatments have various side effects, in particular, lowered blood cell counts comprises one’s overall immune system. Paradoxically, a strong immune system is needed the most when it comes to fighting cancer and to maintain overall health, therefore leading a quality life with good energy.

In my personal opinion, if my life is merely prolonged with its quality greatly compromised, I do not see it as a “true win”. That is when UBCF’s Holistic Care Program come into the picture. I received help with targeted nutritional supplements, customized Chinese herbal mixtures and acupuncture. These treatments conducted alongside conventional treatments, were not only highly effective, but also treats one's body as a whole, bringing balance and harmony. The United Breast Cancer Foundation recognizes that and brings forth its Holistic Care Grant Program to unite us who believe in the whole-body approach.

My deepest gratitude to Stephanie, Beth, and everyone who works at, donates to and volunteers for the United Breast Cancer Foundation!

I have become very anxious & apprehensive in the presence of doctors considering all that I had been through. I was treated for cancer in 2005; they started chemotherapy first due to the size of the the turmor (6.5 cm+). Chemo went from January 2 to April 13. I was still sick after chemo: constantly throwing up. I had my mastectomy on May 12. Shortly after the mastectomy, I started having a nonstop headache & continued to throw up. After 3 months, they figured out the chemo drugs poisoned my gallbladder (it was functioning at 15%); they removed [the] gallbladder on July 20. I was sick as as dog w/pain nausea, headache, an inability to eat, and on & on. In October, the oncologist hospitalized me with fever and dehydration and rehospitalized two additional times in November. The hospital then disclosed at the initial stay in October that I had MRSA (an infection you keep for the rest of your life & one that will constantly tax my immune system). The bacteria was at the expander site.

To this date, I don’t have a breast. And worst of all when the doctors couldn’t figure out why I was sick, they asked me to see a psychologist. I did, I saw two and both said: I was fine & that as soon as I got over this illness, life should resume back to normal. I have little faith in conventional doctors and THANK THE DEAR LORD each day for bringing Dr. Bowmen & and my other caretakers (Kitty & Sherry) at Harford Holistic Center to me. Obviously your grant made that possible for me. THANK YOU EVER SO MUCH.

The center looks at me as a whole, they address all my issues & Dr. Bowmen has the experience of being conventional (M.D.) & holistic so I can get the best of both worlds. She takes the natural approach (herbal, etc…) in treatment, which is less obtrusive to the body. I have no side effects from any of the supplements/medecines/herbs that I take; IT’S GREAT!

In April, I’m hoping I can get a breast. My only option now is to have fat & skin removed from another site (w/4 surgeries at the breast site, there’s no more skin available for stretching). I’m scared to death because when I get weak, this MRSA takes over. So, I’ll need to be stronger that ever. I know I have no guarantees; however, I feel with a stronger system, I’ll be better prepared to handle anything. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR GIVING ME THIS OPTION.

In closing I can’t tell you how grateful I am to this opportunity being available to me. I have life again and hope! I’m 43 and thought life was over and it’s not – a new chapter is just beginning!

I appreciate the gifts and it really made me feel a lot better than how I’ve been feeling. You may not realize, but the generosity you have shown me has impacted my life in a positive way and again, I want to thank you.

I am honored to receive assistance from UBCF for dental expenses. I will forever smile. Tears of joy. Thank you kindly.

I just want to say how amazing this organization is from the bottom of my heart! They were so kind and caring to assist me financially. I felt so grateful to receive support from them.