Times have changed. Back in the dark ages, not that many decades ago, breast cancer was a secret shame, and often a death sentence. Women hid the diagnosis, and were helpless victims of a medical system that hadn't spent a lot of time or money dealing with the disease. Having cancer was bad enough; the fact that it usually required the loss of one if not both of the woman's breasts, the most visible of her womanly attributes, was devastating to her self-esteem. Nowadays, breast cancer is a pink ribbon cause-a rallying point for women's health issues and the leading edge of women's rising consciousness about how they are treated by the medical profession and medical research.
Far from being ashamed of having breast cancer, celebrities have embraced the chance to raise public awareness about early detection and the fact that breast cancer is not necessarily life-threatening. Christina Applegate, the Emmy-nominated lead of the popular TV show Samantha Who? and alum of Married With Children, is one of a host of stars who appeared in the multi-network television special, "Stand Up To Cancer" to raise funds for cancer research. She knows from personal experience that detecting cancer early and undergoing treatment means that cancer is not a death sentence.
I know that cancer cannot only be cured, but can also be one of the most powerful wake-up calls you will ever receive in your life. It was in mine. I heard those awful words-"You have cancer"-when I was in my mid-twenties. It started me on a great adventure that dramatically changed the direction of my life. Cured of the cancer by what medical doctors would call a "miraculous" healing, I left my position as a corporate attorney and spent the next decades journeying and learning in the realm of shamans, sages, and healers.
But my healing went much further than merely releasing me from a physical disease. In the course of what I learned about consciousness and healing, I was also able to release the deep wounds to my soul from having been sexually abused by my father from a very young age.
Christina was only 36 years old when she heard the words no one wants to hear. Even though her mother had survived breast cancer twice, Christina said, "... you don't think it's gonna happen to me." Based on her family history and testing positive for the breast cancer gene, Christina went ahead with a double mastectomy despite being diagnosed with cancer in only one breast, followed by reconstructive surgery. "I'm going to have cute boobs 'til I'm 90," she joked.
She is also proud of being an inspiration to many. At the Emmy awards, Applegate said, "For me to have a voice and be the voice of a 30-something-year-old girl going through this and dispelling the misnomers that it's an older woman's disease is a big part of this for me... every day I get e-mails not even just from people I know, but from people I don't know who I've helped. And that to me is what I'm most grateful for."
Over 2.4 million women in the U.S. have survived breast cancer. The list of celebrities who have survived breast cancer is long, impressive in that these highly visible women chose to come forward rather than hide what was happening to them. It includes singer Melissa Etheridge, who performed on television while bald from chemotherapy; Edie Falco, who battled cancer while still acting on The Sopranos; activist Gloria Steinem, who has been cancer free since the 1980s; Charlie's Angel Kate Jackson survived two bouts, while Angel Jaclyn Smith was able to treat hers with a lumpectomy and radiation; Olivia Newton John; Suzanne Somers, who opted for alternative therapy and holistic medicine; journalist Linda Ellerbee; L.A. Law star Jill Eikenberry; Ann Jillian; Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who returned to work six days after her mastectomy; Lynn Redgrave; Cokie Roberts; Shirley Temple Black. The list could go on.
The death rate from breast cancer has gone down 2.2 percent per year from 1990 to 2004. Part of that success is the fact that women have learned how to advocate on their own behalf. Gynecological oncologist Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, herself a breast cancer survivor and one-time president of the American Cancer Society, says, "In the old days, we used to be paternalistic, and tell patients what to do. Now we lay out all the choices for the patients." Patients need to know what type of tumor they have and how fast it's growing, and they have more time to plan out a treatment strategy than they think. The newest precise treatments put more power in the hands of women; they can read up on the latest research and challenge their doctors to help them find the most effective course of action.
While undergoing medical treatment is a major component in dealing with breast cancer, there are complimentary treatments that improve a woman's chances of truly healing-not only the disease itself, but the emotional and psychological issues that may have contributed to getting cancer in the first place.
One powerful tool to have in the Surviving Cancer tool bag is journal writing. I have always taught that expressing one's emotions-as honestly as possible-on the pages of a journal is a very healing and life-affirming practice. The Journal of Clinical Oncology published the results of a scientific study from the University of Kansas that showed writing during cancer treatment contributed to the healing process. You can write about the loss and devastation you feel, and about the incredible discoveries you make along the way about all aspects of yourself-the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realms we all inhabit. You can write letters (which you never have to send) to anyone who has hurt you, or who you have hurt. You can even write directly to the cancer itself.
Write about how cancer has changed your thoughts and actions. Do you feel differently about aging, about love, about the bittersweet joys of everyday life? If you need help, there are some great books in which brave writers have taken their stories public. There's Art.Rage.Us: Art and Writing by Women with Breast Cancer with an introduction by Jill Eikenberry and an epilogue by Terry Tempest Williams; Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story by Linda Joy Myers; Uplift: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors by Barbara Delinsky; Voices of Breast Cancer: The Healing Companion: Stories for Courage, Comfort and Strength by The Healing Project; and When Words Heal: Writing Through Cancer by Sharon A. Bray.
These days, you can also start a blog to share your story and find endless support online for your situation.
Every effort that you make to heal yourself on every level helps to heal the breast cancer. Dr. Deepak Chopra puts it this way in his DVD Return to Wholeness: Envisioning Your Recovery From Cancer (www.cancervisualization.com), "Mainstream medicine scoffed at the inner healer-and still does-to cover its own ignorance. When I went to medical school 40 years ago, 'healer' was a dirty word because nobody really knew what the body's healing system was capable of. Now we are getting a glimpse, and the powers of self-healing appear to be immense. Yet until we know more, the role of healer falls upon each woman. You are the mystery of healing and also the solver of that mystery. In place of fear, you can acquire so much from the experience of cancer: courage, hope, self-awareness, power, and love for your body."
So take heart. As Christina Applegate knows, "Yes, it's hard. It sucks. But I'm not a victim." Her battle with cancer has helped her learn to seize the day-a "be here now" attitude we can all embrace.
An expert in health and wellness, Deborah King, Ph.D., is author of Truth Heals: What You Hide Can Hurt You. Contact her at http://www.TruthHeals.com
