Surviving Breast Cancer Tips and Encouragement
The American Cancer Society has reported that the breast cancer death rate has declined to 2.2% per year from 1990 to 2004. This means that over 2.4 million women have survived and are surviving breast cancer (reported by the National Cancer Institute). CNN health has turned to three famous breast cancer survivors for helpful information on what they struggled with when they were diagnosed with cancer and how they beat it.
Jaclyn Smith, Olivia Newton-John and gynecologist/oncologist Dr. Carolyn Runowicz offer this helpful information on surviving breast cancer.
- Don’t Rush Medical Decisions: Sometimes your initial instincts are not the best
- Create a network of friends, breast cancer survivors: They can be supportive and offer inspiration and practical advice when you need it most
- Know your tumor: Educating yourself on the type of tumor you have and how fast it is growing to help you make the best treatment option.
If you have a loved one who is struggling with breast cancer or if you have been diagnosed, I strongly encourage you to read the entire article. Runowicz offers some great advice that I really like about staying positive through it all. She encourages women to let go of trying to have a normal life during chemotherapy – its okay to do that. “Chemo is in charge of your life. You get sick and you get tired,” Runowicz says. “You just have to say, ‘this is a year of my life, and it’s going to be a short year and a long life.’”
October 30th, 2007 at 11:01 am
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