Workshops for breast cancer patients start in Axarquía town

Rincón de la Victoria town hall and the Spanish association against cancer (AECC) have created a 'school of lymphedema' aimed at patients affected by breast cancer, or other cancers that can lead to lymphedema.

The acting councillor for Social Welfare, Elena Aguilar, has indicated that this is a pioneering project in the town, "which aims to offer free physiotherapeutic activities for the prevention and treatment of people affected by cancer, in which lymphedema has occurred or is likely to occur".

The activities consist of lymphatic drainage physiotherapist sessions for patients from Rincón de la Victoria who have developed lymphedema. In these one-hour sessions, a painless and very specific technique, similar to massage, is given, after which a specific bandage for lymphedema is applied.

There will also be workshops on care and physical activity aimed at the prevention of lymphedema, as well as the treatment of the after-effects of surgery for breast cancer, including recuperating or maintaining the mobility of the affected areas in order to avoid post-surgical complications.

The president of the AECC in Rincón de la Victoria, Pilar de Haro, stressed the importance of offering these services which are "of vital importance to prevent lymphedema, because once it appears we can improve and control it. If lymphedema is not treated it can worsen".

Anyone interested in participating in the activities should contact the AECC by calling 657 557 278. The headquarters is located at 16 Calle Sierra de la Nieves, Rincón de la Victoria. The sessions are free and fully subsidised by the town hall.

Finally, the councillor recalled that the charity project ‘Almohada corazón’ (pillow heart) is ongoing, in which volunteers from the AECC make heart-shaped pillows in their craft workshops that are given to patients undergoing breast cancer surgery.