There’s no doubt that receiving a cancer diagnosis marks one of the most difficult points in anyone’s life. In an instant, your whole world is turned upside down and you’re suddenly faced with overwhelming decisions about your health, your future, and your family. As I sat in the oncologist’s office, numbly processing the news that I had stage 2 breast cancer, all I could think was – what now?
How do I even start to make sense of this sudden crisis and figure out the best path forward? It seemed like an impossible task to weigh the potential benefits and risks of various treatment options while also balancing work, family responsibilities, and the endless tsunami of emotions coursing through my body. But a decision needed to be made, and waiting wasn’t going to make it any easier.
So over the coming weeks, I embarked on a journey of research, second opinions, painful soul-searching, and family discussions to map out the treatment plan that felt right for my specific cancer and circumstances. In this post, I want to share some of the factors I considered and lessons I learned along the way in the hopes it may help others facing similar choices.
