My mother was worried about it, but I was more concerned about losing my hair before the prom and being too sick to continue cheerleading. I didn't think I could die from cancer, and it was difficult to even think about problems that might occur in the future. Jr. Quality of Life Clinic at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The clinic provides medical, educational, and psychosocial services to help survivors of childhood cancers cope with the long-term side effects of their treatments.
Potential infertility is often a concern for both men and women with a history of cancer.
For unknown reasons, chemotherapy and radiation may cause a woman's ovaries to shut down so they no longer release eggs, leading to infertility and early menopause. These treatments can also diminish the amount and quality of a man's sperm, making natural conception more difficult. Survivors with concerns like these may come to the Perini Clinic and discuss their options with a reproductive specialist. For women, options include hormonal therapy to prevent the onset of early menopause. Black kept her own concerns about infertility at bay until she started a graduate school internship at a cancer clinic.