This page is dedicated to all the brave women (and some men) who are breast cancer survivors. Cancer is a horrific struggle to endure, but for the people who make it through, life will never be exactly the same. Breast cancer is one of the most survivable of all neoplastic processes, especially when discovered and treated early. However, the ravages of the disease permanently leave their marks on both the body and soul of every affected individual.
This essay provides some insight into the survival experience and the tolls enacted by cancer of the breast.
Breast Cancer Survivor Stories
Discovering that you, or a loved one, has breast cancer is devastating. The very idea leaves some women feeling betrayed by their own bodies and very alone in the world. Soon, however, most women discover that they are among legions of others who have been through this trial by fire and find some solace in the thought of a shared struggle.
It helps to network with other women also experiencing the same pains and emotional hardships. In fact, many breast cancer patients find simple joy in just relating their stories to one another.
Breast Cancer Survivors and the Quest for a Cure
Finding a cure for cancer seems like an impossible quest for humankind, but treatments have grown by leaps and bounds. Breast cancer can be effectively sent into remission through any number of therapy options, including radiation, chemotherapy, alternative and holistic cures, dietary changes, mastectomy and lumpectomy.
While searching for a cure, many women experience the full or partial loss of a breast, which can be incredibly traumatic. Feeling this loss and mourning it are the first steps in overcoming the tremendous grief felt by many survivors.
A Second Chance for Breast Cancer Survivors
Becoming cancer-free is a dream for women who are suffering with the disease. However, once that most desired of pronouncements is finally made by your doctor, that is just the beginning: The beginning of a new life, that is. Life, version 2.0
Finding meaning in your struggle, and putting back the pieces of what was broken, take time and effort. You will require support and are sure to find it in those whom you love and those who love you in return.
Your doctors will be a valuable part of your breast cancer recovery, even after the disease is defeated. They can help you to recover fully: mind, body and spirit.
Strength of Breast Cancer Survivors
You will always remember the pain you have endured, but it is crucial to look to the future, while you honor the past. Beating cancer is a second chance: A second birth, if you will. Many women find the journey comes full circle, when they are able to find some good which came from all their misery.
Some women have lost a breast, both breasts, or part of a breast, during their battle. These war wounds scar the body, but cut far deeper into the spirit. They will always be there in your mind, as a reminder of what you have come through and the courage you have shown.
While the marks are impossible to erase in the mind, they can often be corrected on the anatomy. You might have enjoyed the benefit of an immediate mastectomy reconstruction or may have decided to wait for a later time to undergo breast reconstruction.
You may also be one of the women who choose not to fix the aesthetic damage of cancer treatment, or may be one of the unfortunate patients who does not have the option of breast repair, due to financial or health reasons.
However, it is good to know that for many women, breast reconstruction is a very real option after traumatic mastectomy. Most insurance plans cover the operation 100% and charitable organizations often make the procedure available to women who can not afford it on their own or do not have access to care in their home countries.
For more information about breast reconstruction surgery, please contact your local breast cancer organization or speak to your physician.