A Reminder of the Importance of Survivorship Issues

Ruth Pennebaker wrote a short, beautiful piece today in the NY Times about her battle with breast cancer. Her words highlight the importance of survivorship issues, and the post-treatment emotional baggage that often plagues survivors.

The last time I visited my oncologist after my treatments were over, I felt lost. The image that kept recurring in my mind was that someone with a gigantic pair of tweezers had picked me up, shaken me and tossed me back down. Now what?

“I feel as if I want to ask you,” I told my oncologist, “how to live.”

She told me I could live as I had before — working, taking care of kids, exercising, traveling, enjoying life. Anything, really. I could lead a normal life.

As I left her office, I realized how completely I’d lost myself over the past several months. I needed to be reminded who I was.

As survival rates increase, we need more programs to focus on survivorship and quality of life. Thank you, Ruth, for sharing your story with the world!