Hometown Hero: New Jersey nurse helps women of color fighting breast cancer

CAMDEN, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A New Jersey nurse is giving patients fighting cancer a priceless gift: a community that will support them.

Dianne Hyman is an oncology nurse at Cooper University Hospital in Camden. Twenty-one years ago she started a breast cancer support group to help women of faith and color fight the disease.

It's called "Sister Will You Help Me," and the impact of the group is beyond what she could have imagined.

Hyman read from a book she published called "Unveiled" where women in the group shared their stories.

The work she's done has touched hundreds of women and spans decades.

"It's a place where women come and feel supported," she explained. "The women come at various stages. They may be newly diagnosed, they can be out of their cancer journey several years and then still feel the need for support."

Early on in her career as a cancer nurse, Hyman noticed disparities. Minority women were getting diagnosed with cancer later and had a higher death rate. She wanted to help find solutions.

"I'm just so, so grateful to have been a part of so many women's lives," she said.

The women in the group share resources and experiences, and in turn share hope.

"For as much as I poured out into the group, they pour into me their resilience, their strength," she said.

Breast cancer is still a deadly and devastating disease that claims the lives of tens of thousands of women in the US each year. Hyman remembers each person she's cared for.

"I used to call her baby girl because at the time she was one of the youngest survivors in the group," she said, pointing to a program from a funeral she's been to. She keeps them all in a binder.

Still, by building a community of women who lift each other up, Hyman is giving every woman fighting the disease something they can treasure.