MUNCIE, Ind. - Christina Unger is a local in the Muncie community. She’s a wife, a mother to two, and has always been working on her family farm. In 2023, Unger found a lump in her breast and went to check it out. It wasn't until this year that she was diagnosed.
“I was 44 when I was diagnosed, and I felt like I was very active and lived a normal lifestyle, so I wasn’t expecting to be hit with stage four. It’s devastating,” Unger said.
Breast cancer affects millions of lives yearly. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
“That’s when I found out, on March 27th,” Unger said. “I recommend anyone with breast cancer who has dense breast tissue to advocate for an MRI.”
Unger’s journey has not been easy, but she’s determined not to be defined by her diagnosis. She’s found community from strangers who have turned into family through Facebook groups and meeting people from around the world, she may have never met, through Casting for Recovery.
“There are 14 women, and we are all walking different paths; some are in recovery, and some are going through treatment,” Unger said.
Casting for Recovery is a nonprofit organization that provides healing outdoor retreats for women with breast cancer, at no cost to the participants. According to Casting for Recovery, 70% of women who attend a retreat have never been to a support group.
Amie Lieurance and Niki Donaldson are co-participant coordinators. They are the main contact for participants before their retreat, forming bonds with women around the world they’ve never met before.
Lieurance and Donaldson know both sides of the retreat, as they’ve been participants before volunteering.
“I just knew I wanted to volunteer, and I got to come back the next year after my retreat, and fell in love with it even more,” Lieurance said.
The effects of volunteering are everlasting, leaving a footprint on everyone involved.
“I don’t think the participants know how much of an impact they have on us,” Donaldson said. “On the last day of the retreat, we have a graduation, and each staff member picks a participant and gives a speech about them. It’s so fulfilling.”
The retreat involves medical facilitators, art therapy, fly fishing, and other bonding activities, but for Unger, it’s more than just fishing. It’s about the impact it left on her after.
“Casting for Recovery gave me some control over my emotions, but what it also gave me was the strength to be able to get out there and be active, which is something I thought I wouldn’t be able to do.”
Christina hopes to attend the metastatic retreat next summer.
In January, Casting for Recovery is hosting a fundraiser located at Oakleys Bistro at 1464 W. 86th St. To learn more about the nonprofit organization, visit their website.
Contact Amelia Winter with comments at amelia.winter@bsu.edu.
