After Breast Cancer Will My Life Ever Return To Normal?

— -- Question: Will my life ever return to normal?

Answer: I tell patients that there's life before breast cancer and there's life after breast cancer. And part of their healthcare team's responsibility is to help that patient create a life afterwards that's just as good, if not better than their life before. Women are oftentimes reaching for their life before. "I want to be back to normal again," is what they'll say. What you need to do is to find a new normal for yourself and be very comfortable with what that new normal is going to be. We cannot erase the fact that you've been diagnosed and treated for this disease, but you can actually benefit, if you can identify things that have happened to you that have made you feel stronger, have helped you to grow; perhaps you're now closer to your family.

It's a wonderful time to assess the values that you have and to identify new goals in your life. What do you want to accomplish in this world? You may find that after a diagnosis of breast cancer, you may even want to change your career. You may want to get in volunteer activities, in supporting other women who also end up wearing your bra.

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