WOMEN can find out about reconstruction and get a chance to talk to others who have been through reconstructive surgery at a twice monthly BRA charity meeting.
Heidi Stubbings is one of five breast cancer nurses that work in the breast unit at Broomfield's world-famous St Andrews Centre.
She said: "My job is to support anyone with breast health problems.
"At the point of diagnosis if it looks like a breast cancer then we help them through the stages of treatment and offer support after surgery.
"This group started in 2005 and is a hugely valuable resource because at some point a patient has to decide if they're going to have a reconstruction and at the same time think about how it's going to affect them and how are they going to look.
"We also set up a group called Moving Forward, something that Breast Cancer Care have been running only three or four years.
"Patients can come along when treatment has finished, and this is not seen by family and relatives, patients are often left alone and start to think about what's happened to them and how their life has changed.
"They also start to think about how they come to terms with what's happened to them and the long term side effects and how work and relationships will continue.
"A lot of women have reconstruction can take up to two years and side-effects can go on for two or three years. The impact on their lives is so massive."