Imagine not having the ability to lift up your small child into the air, swing a golf club or tennis racket, or reach for a wine glass or cup of coffee off a kitchen cupboard. For many women and even that much smaller percentage of men who are breast cancer patients, this is a stark reality following their diagnosis, treatments, and any surgeries as they inevitably experience numerous painful side effects such as decreased range of motion and arm strength as well as lymphedema or chronic swelling.
There is a relatively unknown Atlanta-based nonprofit in the breast cancer space supporting breast cancer patients of all backgrounds treat these respective issues as well as general fatigue and weakness. TurningPoint Breast Cancer Rehabilitation supports the needs of breast cancer patients of all ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds by providing essential, critical survivorship services at two in-person clinics – located in Sandy Springs, Georgia, and downtown Atlanta - as well as a comprehensive online offering through telerehabilitation, a service first started following the arrival of Covid in the spring 2020. TurningPoint’s core and customised services include physical therapy, massage therapy, emotional support, nutritional counseling, exercise classes, and education programs. TurningPoint plays a game-changing role in helping breast cancer patients feel better faster, return to the activities they enjoyed prior to their diagnosis, and ultimately, become and remain cancer free.
Since this unique nonprofit was founded in the fall of 2003 by Jill Binkley, a two-time breast cancer survivor and trained physical therapist, who witnessed firsthand the sizeable void in survivorship care for cancer patients, there have been more than 45,000 patient visits by more than 8,500 actual patients. No patient is ever denied service due to insufficient insurance or inadequate financial resources, so the necessity to raise money for financial assistance is both constant and significant.
For 36-year-old Dr. Janae Finley, TurningPoint has played an integral role in her life as a breast cancer survivor and former TurningPoint patient. For the last five and a half years she has served as a physical therapist at TurningPoint and more recently became assistant clinical director, overseeing the clinic in downtown Atlanta. According to Dr. Finley, it was TurningPoint that introduced her to very specific stretching and strengthening exercises that targeted her radiated post-surgical tissues, thus gradually improving her mobility and overall function. She also credits the suggestion of using emu oil to soothe and restore her radiated skin, which brought about unexpected but much-needed relief.
“Limitations as a result of surgery and or a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, or medication can interrupt who a person is in her daily life, but exercise and rehabilitation cannot only help patients return to life before their diagnosis, but can also open the door for activities or opportunities they otherwise didn’t know existed,” said Dr. Finley. “Case in point, one of my patients is a rower who also enjoyed pickleball and kayaking. After surgery she took our sessions to heart by stretching every day and really working on her range of motion and upper body strength. Not only did she return to rowing, but she is now a dragon racer and recently made the 2028 Olympic dragon boat racing team!”
Should you be interested in learning more about TurningPoint’s customized, head-to-toe services as a resource be it for a friend, relative, neighbor, or co-worker, or should you an interest in volunteering or contributing to the aforementioned financial assistance program, please email staff at myturningpoint dot org
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