Welcome to the

Tribute to Janette from the Advanced Breast Cancer Group

We would like to pay tribute to Janette and thank her for her Moderation of the forum since 2009. She took over following the deaths of Janine and Cheryl, who founded the forum in 2005, and has been a dedicated and loyal supporter and volunteer Moderator ever since. We would also like to acknowledge Jezza who ably supported her in this role for many years.

While it is sad to see the closure of the forum as an active space for women affected by breast cancer to share their experience, we feel that it has been incredibly valuable to many hundreds, if not thousands, of women over the years. It may have been the brainchild of Janine and Cheryl but it would not have continued after their deaths without Janette’s ongoing and capable management of the forum since 2009.

We hope that the forum will continue to be a valuable resource as a searchable archive of information and experience that has been shared over the past 15 years.

It was the first breast cancer forum to be established in Australia to our knowledge, giving women from both Australia and New Zealand the opportunity to connect with one another and share their experience. Facebook groups and online communities have since emerged around Australia, giving women more options for connecting and resulting in the ABCF. Becoming less active as a national forum.

So to everyone who has used the forum and found it helpful we would like to thank you and wish you well. We are sure you join with us in thanking Janette for all her hard work and dedication over the years and in wishing her well into the future.

Regards

Mary OBrien and Pia Hirsch
Advanced Breast Cancer Group

This forum was originally created in December 2005 by and for a group of women attending BreaCan's third HereAndNow program for women with advanced breast cancer. After several months of operation, the forum was opened to the public and began welcoming members from all over Australia and New Zealand. Janine Gilbert and Cheryl Davis, the founding Administrators of the forum, worked tirelessly to develop and maintain the forum until their deaths in August 2009. Their foresight in joining with other breast cancer organisations to form a national online forum for people affected by breast cancer has meant that the Aussie Breast Cancer Forum was a vibrant meeting place and a lasting tribute to their memory. Administration and moderation was performed by volunteer members.

We were very happy to welcome the active involvement and support of the Advanced Breast Cancer Group (QLD) in 2007 and Breast Cancer Care of Western Australia (formerly the Breast Cancer Foundation of WA) soon after as our partners. In 2015 the Advanced Breast Cancer Group of Qld officially took on the ownership of the forum they have supported financially since 2009 and with advice and direction since 2007.

For me there was an incredible bond formed over the years with some amazing ladies. A freedom to post stuff you may not tell your best friend. To the amazing ladies who are our Angels there is no tribute strong enough for the pain of losing you.

To Janine and Cheryl our forum founders you helped so many ladies and pioneered our own Aussie Breast Cancer forum.

From Kerrie,
This site was my saviour when I was diagnosed 10years ago. I really don’t know how I would have managed without the support and advice I received from so many amazing women. I was also fortunate enough to meet some of these women and I will always be so

From Christine,
I will log in today. This site was my saviour when diagnosed. It has been very quiet each time I’ve checked in which is less often. Thank you Janette and moderators and everyone I met along the way

From Sue, Michelle you have said exactly what this forum was for

From Shell225,
Oh gosh, It's a chapter we all shared and no doubt wished we could tear out of our book of life. I will forever be grateful for the support, friendship and compassion of each and every woman who graced it's pages. I have had the privilege of making friends who will last a lifetime, bonds forged in a tempest we all shared. To our strong, inspiring founders and our beautiful Angels each and every one of you is so sorely missed. Thank you seems almost trite, it isn't enough to explain the support and love, that flowed through those keyboards of each and every contributor.

From Ruth
Sorry to hear but it’s been silent for a long time - can we still log in and see history etc? The forum was the main support I had back in 2012 when trying to work my way through the mire of treatment and deal with the big scary C - to all who were with me back then and to the women we’ve lost my sincere thanks for everything.

From Kerri,
I have only just been made aware of the forum closing. What a shame, but as you have said Jeanette, there are many other ways to keep intouch with each other. I can't believe the forum is 15yrs old, what a wonderful resource it has been. It has been a place of love, laughter, tears & best of all, it's been a place where new friendships have been made. I have a lump in my throat as I remember the chats, gatherings, photos, the music video that was created at one of the Adelaide gatherings & can still be viewed on You Tube. It has been a life line for us Pink Ladies & will always remain an important part of our journeys. I'm will always be grateful to those who created the forum & kept it running. I send my love to all those who I came to know from 2007 when I was first dxd. It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye to the forum.

From Jezza
I would hate to know how much time I have spent on this forum over the years! I loved coming on here to meet everybody and to see how much it meant to the members and especially those who were recently diagnosed and looking for information and friendship. Friday night chats were great. The time just flew. The annual GTGs and the lunches in all the different states...Janine and Cheryl would have been amazed to see how much the forum grew. They would also have been amazed at how the social media platforms have developed over the years. This forum was ahead of it's time but there are so many accessible online BC Groups now that it's understandable it's time to close the forum down. The friendships we made will still continue. Thanks so much to Janette for all the time she put in and sending love to all.

From Marydean
Hello to all my lovely forum friends. :wave: I too wanted to post to say how important the forum was to me, and the friendship offered to me online and in person over the years. :grouphug: It made all the difference to have a place to come for accurate information, advice and support. Buckets and buckets of support for experiences that most other people had no way of relating to. And of course it has been a really special place to remember and commemorate our angels. :rose: I am sad to hear the forum is closing :sniff: - but the reality is that it's a case of 'mission accomplished'. It achieved everything that Janine and Cheryl and our founding members set out to do, and much, much more. :clap: And special thanks to Janette without whose efforts it would have closed a long, long time ago.

From warpgirl
This forum was exactly what I needed 12 years ago. It gave me a wonderful source of information, support, comfort, laughs and friendship during my cancer treatment and beyond. I remember some pretty wild Friday night parties in the chat room! Heartfelt thanks to the founders, Janine and Cheryl, all the members and to Janette for keeping it going. Best wishes to all Helen aka Warpgirl

 

Advanced Breast Cancer Group (QLD)

The Aussie Breast Cancer Forum also wishes to acknowledge the assistance and support of:

• Breast Cancer Care WA
• BreastNet™- the website of the NSW Breast Cancer Institute
• Counterpart- Gynaecological and Breast Cancer Support (Victoria)
• BestCancerSites - Ed Everest's guide to breast cancer resources on the web