Let’s Talk About It: Breast Cancer (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Relationship with Loved Ones After Cancer)
A cancer diagnosis can change how you seek support from others. You may look to friends for light-hearted distraction, help with decision-making, or reassurance and comfort. However, all too often, relationships become complicated and fraught with misunderstanding. Let’s talk about boundaries, and how to express yourself clearly and thoughtfully so you feel connected, understood, and […]
Let’s Talk About It: Breast Cancer (Toxic Positivity)
We discussed the common experience of dealing with loved ones who offer positivity but may come across as dismissive when supporting someone with a breast cancer diagnosis. You have the right to feel a range of emotions, and it’s important to find meaningful ways to honor your honest experience and communicate your needs to others. […]
Deep Dive into Breast Cancer Disparities
Research has shown that there are significant differences between black and white women in terms of their experience with breast cancer. To gain insight into this issue, it is essential to understand what epidemiology is and how it highlights the health disparities between these two groups.
Let’s Talk About It: Breast Cancer (Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired)
Individuals with breast cancer can join Julie Larson, LCSW and peers via video or phone to talk about topics such as “Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired”. Cancer-related fatigue is one of the most challenging treatment-related side effects. Your level of cancer-related fatigue may vary from day to day or last for extended […]
Part III – Cumulative Grief: Learning how to honor the many losses that occur in a brief period of time
Cumulative grief, also known as compounded grief, is grief that occurs more than once in a brief period of time. As a person with cancer, a caregiver or professional in this world, we are often met with confronting grief on a frequent basis. So often, we may be unable to process fully the loss that […]
The Importance of Black Women Understanding the Chemicals in Their Personal Care Products
Certain chemicals, such as phthalates and parabens, can disrupt the body’s hormones and have significant effects on health. According to data, hormone-related health issues such as uterine fibroids, infertility, early puberty and more aggressive forms of breast and endometrial cancers disproportionately affect Black women. Our guest speaker, Jasmine A. McDonald, PhD, an Assistant Professor in […]
Let’s Talk About It: Breast Cancer (Survivor’s Guilt)
The question of “Why me?” often exemplifies the experience of survivor’s guilt. Feeling survivor’s guilt is more common than you may think and can be triggered in different ways. Your positive news at a follow-up visit, regaining strength when treatment ends and manageable side effects are all events that may counter-intuitively lead to stress or […]
Part II – Body Grief: Losing parts of ourselves and our identity before, during and after cancer treatment
When cancer is diagnosed, there is a common experience for people to feel under attack or betrayed by their own body. Some even experience distrust and dissociation with their body. The multitude of losses that come along with a cancer diagnosis are sometimes met with well-intended but insensitive feedback from those around you. Grieving for […]
Let’s Talk About It: Breast Cancer (What is Mindset and Does it Really Matter?)
Your mindset is the way you make sense of the world around you. This lens influences the way you think, the way you feel, and how you might behave in certain situations. Let’s talk about mindset myths that can get us into trouble and ways to cultivate a mindset to support your cancer survivorship in […]