Survivorship

What a privilege to welcome you into this new stage of your cancer journey - Survivorship! This has been the goal of your healthcare team from day one. You have arrived. Treatments are over. They are now part of your history.

This long-awaited milestone usually comes with great joy because treatment is finally over. However, for most people, the joy is mixed with a sense of uncertainty about what to expect in the future. Your frequent visits to your healthcare team will be replaced with periodic checkups. The healthcare team that frequently monitored your health will transfer the task of monitoring your health back to you. This may seem a little scary. To help reduce your uncertainty, we have prepared the Breast Cancer Survivorship Handbook to help you understand your new role as a cancer survivor. It is designed to help you move forward with your life and manage any uncertainty you may be feeling.

Life after cancer treatment will not be the same. Cancer changes everything. Most people find that, to their surprise, cancer brought about many positive changes. The experience of cancer has helped them to reevaluate their life priorities. Things that were of upmost importance before cancer may now have been replaced with newly significant values and goals. Cancer often serves as a catalyst to make positive changes. The next few months will be an opportunity for you to experience your new life. Instead of getting back to normal, you will find that there is a new normal for you. Take this opportunity to implement changes that will positively impact your recovery. This is the time to learn to take care of yourself.

My goal is to empower you to understand how to best manage your future healthcare and to provide you with tips to successfully move forward with your life as a cancer survivor.

It is my privilege to share this survivorship journey with you.

Judy