Tag: Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Five of My Favorite Gift Ideas from a Patient Advocate

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There are a variety of celebrations across the globe as the year ends. Holidays, giving, tangible gifts! We love to wrap packages in pretty bows and paper to give to family and friends. I want to talk about the intangible gifts of the holidays. The gifts that are in our hearts. Gifts not always easy to find or give. Perhaps this is my reflection on the gifts I have received from so many this past year. What are my five favorite gift ideas from a patient advocate? The Gift of Compassion Whether you have been newly diagnosed with breast cancer or are considering breast reconstruction after mastectomy, the gift of compassion is priceless. The most well-meaning friends and family can say comments we don’t always appreciate. The truth is, friends and family do not always know what to say. What can you do? Hold a hand if you are with Continue Reading →

When Breast Cancer Patients Experience PTSD

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When breast cancer patients experience PTSD, it can be triggered for several reasons. My own experience leads me to understand what triggers my PTSD after a second breast cancer diagnosis. I realize it is important to learn to control the mechanism that triggers the response. How do I do this? Awareness, speaking to others who have been through it and how they manage their own PTSD after breast cancer, realigning my thoughts to conquer the fear that PTSD brings on. My PTSD occurs because I was diagnosed with stage IV, metastatic and seven days later the diagnosis was retracted. I lived with that diagnosis for a week. I told my family and friends and they were sucked into the dark vortex that is the result of such a diagnosis. What happened? My healthcare team ordered scans after my second diagnosis. They saw lesions on my spine and that’s when the Continue Reading →

Meet my Friend, Patient Advocate & Four-time Breast Cancer Fighter

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This is Terlisa Sheppard. Terlisa is my friend. She is also a patient advocate and four-time breast cancer fighter. Terlisa and I met this past summer at the Project LEAD Institute graduate program along with other amazing patient advocates. I was blessed to see her again in December of 2017 at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) and we put it on our schedule and committed to make this video together. I will visit this blog frequently to listen to her Journey of being a young mother diagnosed with breast cancer and now living daily with the disease. Meet my friend, patient advocate, and four-time breast cancer fighter. Are you inspired? I think you should be, I really do. To know cancer is in your body in various organs and continue to look at life with a blessed, grateful disposition is nothing short of God-given, super-human constitution. I am Continue Reading →

Christmas Week: A New Breast Cancer Connection

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Christmas Week: A New Breast Cancer Connection I was privileged, during this week prior to Christmas, to make a new breast cancer connection. Coincidentally enough, I learned about Nadia through another breast cancer friend and colleague, Barbara Jacoby. Barbara posted an article on social media about Nadia’s generous work with breast cancer patients through her love of photography. I read that Nadia was right here in my own back yard. I reached out to her for a meeting. As is the case with many breast cancer survivors I speak with, the conversation began with an immediate hug and a feeling of connection. We both encourage moving beyond a breast cancer treatment in our own communities through our separate nonprofit foundations, DiepCFoundation.org and NadiaStrong.org. The purpose of our separate yet similar Foundations seem to collide with the same message: We encourage women and men to move beyond the diagnosis and feel Continue Reading →

DIEP flap Education: Boobs in the Bathroom

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DIEP flap education and boobs in the bathroom?  Really? Yes! Really! When a woman has had breast reconstruction, especially when you are using your own tissue, it can be of great benefit to show other women “the goods” when they are contemplating the same surgery. The mere visual may seem a bit comical but let me share with you what I have personally experienced. There is nothing comical about hearing the words, “You have breast cancer”. It is often a mind-bending, confusing Journey for women and men to go through. We talk about it a lot on the Journey Facebook group. We have also discussed, in a half-joking manner, “Yes, I show others my boobs in the bathroom!” When your breasts have been removed after a mastectomy and then rebuilt using your own tissue, it is nothing short of miraculous to many; patient and potential patients alike. Women who have Continue Reading →

Products for Women after Mastectomy & DIEP Flap

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I frequently find out about new products through social media connections. A sports bra was introduced to me by a DiepCjourney member, Kimberly Jewett. We chatted at length on the phone about the Empower Bra from Athleta. Connections with other athletic women is real feeling of empowerment, especially in the breast cancer and breast reconstruction community. Feeling fit is an on-going goal for many strong women. It becomes even more of a priority after the assault of a breast cancer diagnosis and the aftermath of treatment and surgeries. I learned about Athleta through a mutual friend and board-certified microsurgeon, Dr. Fawn Hogan. Fawn is the epitome of fitness and I frequently refer to her as my #swolemate. Fawn told me about how much she uses the Athleta brand in her workouts. I ordered a pair of Athleta pants and they are now my go to pair when I’m headed to Continue Reading →

New Game Changer App for Anyone Impacted by Breast Cancer

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I am a breast cancer survivor.  I have had breast cancer twice.  I had two lumpectomies my first diagnosis.  I relied on the visits to my oncologist and breast surgeon to inform me of my options and what the treatment, side effects, and recovery would be like including chemotherapy and radiation.  That was in 2002.  My second diagnosis in 2014 resulted in double mastectomy.  I wore prosthesis for seven months before I decided on DIEP flap breast reconstruction. Many patients complain their surgeons essentially just told them what their treatment would involve without much discussion.  What if someone said you can be actively involved in deciding your breast cancer treatment plan?  Many of us use a variety of apps on our mobile devices and computers every day. Those apps serve many different purposes to suit our individual needs. Would having an app for shared decision making in your breast cancer Continue Reading →

Summer Blogging Challenge!

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Summer Blogging Challenge! Summer blogging challenge accepted fellow blogger, Nancy!  I have had a whirlwind week but after reading three responses from fellow bloggers, you, Rebecca Hogue, and Britt Lee, how could I not chime in? I have another fellow breast cancer and breast reconstruction pal coming to visit this weekend so my answers are going to be short and well…. hopefully sweet! Share anything you want about your cancer diagnosis (or your loved one’s). Share your age, cancer type, stage, when you were diagnosed, family history (if any), your reaction, how you learned the news, or whatever you’re comfortable sharing.  Diagnosis #1: 2002 included two lumpectomies; 18 weeks of chemotherapy including the “red devil” that landed my Irish ass in the hospital with low blood counts; 6 weeks of daily radiation; 5 years of Tamoxifen Early stage; No family history… yep, I’m the designated family poster child…. That’ll do Continue Reading →

Inspirational Connections through Breast Cancer

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Inspirational Connections through Breast Cancer A true blessing and bonus of educational outreach is inspirational connections through the breast cancer community.  I recently received an email from Cinde and she humbly asked to write a guest blog about how she came to develop her drain carrier after surviving breast cancer three times.  Like me, Cinde has undergone DIEP flap breast reconstruction .  Naturally, I was curious to hear her story and after reading it I am honored to share this guest blog.  Cinde is not only providing a product for breast cancer patients but her outreach became global and continues to positively impact women in Karunga, Tanzania. Thank you for sharing this guest blog to the breast cancer community, Cinde. Post-Op Drain Management and the Mamas of Kilimanjaro   I’m a four-time cancer survivor, three-time breast cancer survivor.   After being diagnosed with cancer so many times — and surviving Continue Reading →

Ray of Sunshine after Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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It just doesn’t seem a ray of sunshine might even play into the discussion the day I was told I had breast cancer does it?  There actually was a ray of sunshine after a breast cancer diagnosis. This is my story. The Breast Cancer Diagnosis The day of my second breast cancer diagnosis I was sitting in the office of my breast surgeon, Dr. Michele Ley, I saw Dr. Ley about five years previous to my second diagnosis to remove a benign area in my left breast.  I chose to go to her because I was very impressed with her demeanor, compassion, confidence and skill for the minor surgery she performed then.   It was a “steel in my back” kind of day when I was scheduled to go in to see her.  I was alone.  My husband was out of the country on business.  I had been down this road Continue Reading →