After discovering a lump in her left breast nearly three years ago, Donna Blackburn went to see a surgeon to get a biopsy and discuss her options.

She chose to have a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

“My mother died of breast cancer,” she said. “I have a strong family history.”

Her instincts proved correct. Doctors also found an early form of carcinoma in her right breast.

“I didn’t want to have a potential chance of breast cancer in the future,” she said.

During her recovery, she received a Reach to Recovery Pillow – a soft pillow that can be placed under the arm and against the side of the chest to help ease the loss of tissue when the breast and/or lymph nodes are removed during surgery – from the American Cancer Society.

“They’re wonderful from a comfort level, and they give a little extra support,” she said. “They’re great.”

Blackburn believes all patients who have had surgery for breast cancer should receive a pillow, but right now the ACS is experiencing a shortage. The organization usually has groups and individuals who sew the pillows, but that number is dwindling.

“We probably have about 10 pillows on hand,” ACS health initiatives Tammy Tinsley said. “We cover 15 counties out of this office. We have served 150 women with breast cancer in the past six months.”

Now the ACS is seeking volunteers to make the rectangular 8-inch by 81/2-inch pillows to help make patients more comfortable.

“The pillows are not a necessity, but they’re more of a comfort to someone who has had surgery. There is a lot of fatty tissue under the arm that goes with breast tissue,” Tinsley said. “(Surgery) leaves a void. The pillow goes up under the arm to help ease pain and give comfort. You can put it under your arm when you’re sitting up.”

The comfort continues even after a patient has healed.

“A lot of people I know who have been cancer survivors still sleep with them. It’s one of those things people don’t think about,” Tinsley said. “A mastectomy not only effects a person physically, but also emotionally. It’s not like just taking the breast and it’s over.”

The pillows are made out of cotton material and are stuffed with pillow or quilting stuffing, Tinsley said.

“It goes under your arm, so you want something very soft,” she said. “You don’t have to be a great seamstress. If you can sew a straight line you’re good to go.”

Tinsley can also provide materials to make the pillows. The ACS office has leftover cotton Survivor T-shirts that can be used to make the pillows.

“What a great way to recycle and reuse,” she said. “It lets them know every time they look at it that they’re a survivor.”

The pillows are often delivered by volunteers for Reach to Recovery, which provides support for those interested in or who have had a lumpectomy, mastectomy, breast reconstruction, chemotherapy or radiation. The group also helps those recently diagnosed with breast cancer and those facing breast cancer recurrence or the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.

“All Reach to Recovery volunteers are survivors,” said Blackburn, who completed her training to become a volunteer last summer. “We call patients two or three days after surgery. We send pillows, booklets, a bra and a soft prosthesis.”

Volunteers sometimes spend time with patients.

“When they have their first week follow-up meeting at the doctor’s office, I meet them there. I give them pointers,” she said. “They have questions that they don’t think to ask the doctors.”

Patients can get referrals to the program through surgeons or they can refer themselves, Blackburn said.

“Knowing what resources are out there and having someone who has been through it and knows what they are going through is so important,” she said.

— Pillows may be taken to the ACS office, 952 Fairview Ave., Suite 4, or Tinsley can pick them up. For more information, call 782-9036. To get a Reach to Recovery volunteer, call 745-1960.