Addressing Emotional Well-Being During Breast Cancer

In part two of CURE’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month webinar series on sharing stories, we partnered with SHARE Cancer Support to learn more about how to address emotional well-being as a patient and survivor of breast cancer.

We spoke with Megan-Claire Chase, Breast Cancer Program Director, and Karen Adams, Breast Cancer Patient Support Manager, both of whom are from SHARE Cancer Support, to hear their experiences of caring for their emotional well-being at diagnosis, during treatment and in survivorship.

0:12 — Managing Emotional Well-Being During Diagnosis, Treatment and Survivorship

• Megan-Claire Chase noted that managing emotional well-being is ongoing and attributes her “chemo twin” and therapy, among other tools.
• “You don’t have to be happy all the time, but as long as you keep pushing forward,” Chase added.
• Karen Adams agreed with Chase, saying that therapy helped her to navigate this “emotional rollercoaster” of cancer. She also attributes her two daughters, who would make her laugh and gave her the zeal to keep going.
• “Own your emotions,” Adams said. “Don’t let anybody tell you, you should be over this by now. … It’s always in the back of your mind.”

11:20 — Finding a Community of Support

• Chase said that there are many different kinds of support groups, including those for breast cancer subtypes, caregivers and general groups. Even with the broad availability of support groups, she said that to keep going to groups until you find the right fit.
• Also, when going to support groups, Chase advised patients to not feel obligated to speak if you are not ready yet. “Sometimes it helps to just listen and hear what others are going through,” she said.
• Adams mentioned that she found local support and thought it was valuable to sit in someone’s living room to talk and listen to each other’s experiences. “It’s very important to have local support like that,” she said.

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