We know that our shared goal must be to learn to live as though our cancer will never come back. Surely if we spend our lives struggling with fear and grief, the cancer has won— whether or not it ever recurs. If this is a challenge you must face in the future, you will find [...]

The prospect of undergoing chemotherapy is frightening. Many women are more worried about chemotherapy than surgery. Start by forgetting all the horror stories you have heard. Remember that each person reacts as an individual to treatment; it is also crucial that you realize your oncologist wants to help minimize any unpleasant side effects you may [...]

? There are both advantages and disadvantages to having simultaneous or immediate reconstruction. ? Advantages include having only one surgery, which also means one general anesthesia, one hospitalization, one recovery period, and not ever having to live without a breast. ? Disadvantages include having to make a complicated decision in the middle of a period [...]

Preadolescent children can be tough! Like their younger siblings, they may have many questions—or they may not. You may want to talk with them more than they want to talk with you. As long as you repeat the message that you will be available to talk when your son or daughter is ready, you will [...]

It is unlikely that you can safely assume that your doctors and other health care providers will be well informed about these other options. Western medical training and experience does not emphasize them, and there have not been controlled studies to evaluate their efficacy. Having said this, we note the trend in medical education to [...]