Men, when the woman in your life is diagnosed with breast cancer, or any cancer for that matter, it's a family issue that devastates the entire family. The Avera Cancer Institute is holding a free workshop next month to teach men how to be the best partner they can be in caring for the woman in their life.

On September 20th Marc Heyison will be in Sioux Falls. He co-founded the "Men Against Breast Cancer". The first national non-profit organization to target men and provide the education they need to become empowered effective caregivers. Men who have attended such workshops say it helped them address the issues of powerlessness and uncertainty and doubt.

Avera McKennan is hosting the Partners in Survival Workshop for free to help men and women understand that it takes a family to beat cancer.

Assistant Vice President of Avera Outpatient Cancer Clinics Kris Gaster says, " I know it's difficult for men to be enthused about coming but if you really want to make a difference in your woman's life this is the place to come. This is the place to come and learn the skills you need to support that woman."

Our own Phil Schreck's wife Kristie is a breast cancer survivor. Phil openly admits he didn't know what to do to help her emotionally when they got the diagnosis in May of 2007.

Phil says, "First of all, I would go. If you have a spouse or someone you know who has cancer and has asked you to go, you should go. At the time Kristie was diagnosed I'd never known anyone with cancer. I didn't know how to deal with it. I kind of went about my normal life, my normal routine and in the back on my mind I was thinking it's all going to get better, why dwell on it. Why talk about it? I thought it would make her upset to bring it up. But she wanted to talk about it. Doing more chores around the house and taking extra good care of our 5 children was important, but she needed more. I think the emotional support that you learn to express through these meetings would help immensely because I didn't do that. "

As a husband, a son, a brother don't you owe it to the women in your lives to do everything you can to make their fight a little easier?

Again, "The Partners in Survival" Workshop is free. September 20th from 8:30 to 11:30 am at the Avera McKennan Fitness Center. Call to register 1-877-AT-AVERA. It's being paid for by money raised through the Avera Race Against Breast Cancer.