When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was immediately faced with some serious decisions to make. Decisions about my body, how to deal with removing the cancer and what type of reconstruction were incredibly difficult. These decisions would literally affect how I look and feel for the remainder of my life.
While undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, I gave little to no thought about reconstruction. Being subjected to more surgeries and spending more time in doctor’s offices held little appeal and I had grown accustomed to my mastectomy scar.
Communicating your needs as a cancer patient with your friends and family can be a daunting task. Sometimes we really need help and sometimes all we need is a sounding board. As a caregiver, I’ve worked with a great deal of cancer patients over the years. When facing challenges, good communication is as important as ever. Here I’ve compiled seven tips that I’ve seen have really helped.
Does anyone want to talk about foobs?
Sure, everyone wants to talk a lot about boobs. When am I going to get them? How big are they going to be? Some want bigger, some smaller, some have Instagram accounts full of selfies in body-con dresses with puckered lips and padded bras because hers are just right.
Because of you.
As 2015 comes to a close, I wanted to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. What an amazing year it has been, not only for myself, personally, but for AnaOno and our entire community!
In September of 2014 (soon after my 40th birthday), I felt a small lump in my breast. I made the proper calls and arrangements for testing, but kept convincing myself it was “just a cyst.”
You could say I was predestined to be warrior. After all, my name, Marcy, means “war-like.”
However, my journey through breast cancer was not necessarily one of survival, but rather one of reconnecting with myself.