Beth L. Gainer

Those who’ve been following my blog and who know me are aware that in a relatively short time span, my beloved father and doting aunt both died. My aunt Helene died August 18, 2017, more than a year ago and it’s as difficult now to cope with losing her as it was a week after she died. Added to the grief are some well-meaning folks who have told me that my parents (yes, my aunt was a parent) are no longer suffering and that my grief will lessen over time. Tags: " breast cancer, Aunt Helene, cancer, coping with grief, father, grief

These medical staff always try their best to help patients, but other than referring me to support groups, which sucked for me (click here to find out about one of the shittiest support groups ever), there was no effort to nudge me to find a social worker, psychotherapist, or other mental health professional. After treatment, my mental health — deteriorating throughout treatments — eroded, and I have had to see psychotherapists (I eventually did fire one; more on her in another post) and a psychiatrist for medication to control the severe depression and anxiety I constantly experienced post-treatment. The landmark survey of nearly 3,000 women with breast cancer in England, carried out on behalf of Breast Cancer Care, found 33% experienced anxiety for the first time in their lives after their diagnosis and treatment. Tags: breast cancer, cancer, cancer and mental health, cancer and trauma, cancer treatment, the new normal

It’s no wonder that this Calvin Coolidge quote has always resonated with me, for my greatest strength is determined persistence. An advisor at Michigan State University told me to drop out of school because of my low grade point average. And when my college English placement scores were low, another Michigan State advisor told me I wouldn’t succeed in college due to low literacy. Tags: college, determination, greatest strength, Michigan State University, persistence

Then I just kept blogging because I had a lot more to say about the breast cancer experience than I initially thought, and I wanted to help others with various facets of the breast cancer experience. I try to reserve some time on Sunday to read blogs from Journeying Beyond Breast Cancer’s Weekly Roundup, as well as leave comments, but if I have stacks of papers waiting to be graded, I make the latter the priority. Being told that there’s a reason for everything as a way to explain that there’s meaning in having/having had breast cancer. Tags: blogging, cancer, summer blogging challenge