FROM STAFF REPORTS

BIRMINGHAM – The Breast Cancer Survivorship Rehabilitation Initiative unveiled Forge as the official name of the community-based therapeutic program.

The name, Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center, was chosen to represent and embody the spirit of survivorship and the personal triumph over cancer, according to a press release from the center.

“To forge” means to steadily make progress and invokes a feeling of strength and safety, the release read. It means to be strong, powerful, brave and steadfast. The term embodies the journey of the breast cancer survivor – a steady and gradual forward movement in life, even in the face of obstacles.

“In addition to the connection with the city of Birmingham’s ironworks industry, the word Forge resonates feelings of strength, empowerment and safety,” Project Director Rebecca Di Piazza wrote. “Forge will provide strength, education and support through a community of survivors and their loved ones so that no one faces breast cancer alone.”

Since rehabilitation begins at diagnosis and extends beyond the completion of treatment, Forge was founded to provide holistic and supportive services for women and their families who have been affected by breast cancer.

The Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center’s programs serve to improve the healing process for cancer survivors and their loved ones.

Forge’s current services include Forge Advocates, Survivor to Survivor Mentor Match, 24-7 Telephone Support Line, repository of community resources, support groups, counseling services through OASIS Counseling for Women and Children and health care professional Renewal Days.

“I think breast cancer survivors will embrace our name and identity, and I believe the services we offer will reflect the same sense of strength and empowerment as our name,” Di Piazza wrote.

The initiative was developed and supported by Brookwood Baptist Health, Grandview Medical Center, St. Vincent’s Health System, UAB Medicine, UAB School of Nursing and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham.

To learn more about the Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center, visit Forgeon.org.