Yes, a diagnosis of breast cancer is a major obstacle. Our brain goes numb, and, in a split second, we feel as if our life is completely out of control. I'm a nurse who cares for women with this disease, and I'm a breast cancer survivor myself, having been diagnosed at age of 38 in 1992. I am now healthier than I've ever been in my life, and my life is good. Although you, as the woman, are the one diagnosed with the disease, everyone who loves you is affected by it.
Communication is a key.
We need to draw strength and comfort from each other, but we often may feel at a loss as to what to say, and then can misinterpret each other's silence as rejection. This workbook is intended to help couples avoid that trap and to talk to each other openly and honestly about all those difficult issues that inevitably are on their mind. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Shockney is a strong advocate of the value of humor as a beneficial form of complementary medicine and speaks on this subject often. Her personal goal is to foster the development and implementation of national quality standards for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in the United States.