Living Well After Breast Cancer… Getting Back in the Swing!

In the fight against breast cancer, as radiologists our passion is early detection, but we are equally passionate about survivorship. Survivorship starts day one of a breast cancer diagnosis including all of life and moving forward thereafter. Survivorship looks as different as the women experiencing it, but all survivors can benefit from a little help along the way.  

We’ve written of our love for Back in the Swing, a Kansas City-based nonprofit that helps women in the journey of survivorship. We applaud the excellent work they do! In recent news, they’ve made even more progress in their mission to help women in health and happiness beyond the pink ribbon.  

For facilities caring for those with cancer, emphasis in the past was simply on survival in the immediate sense. But for most survivors, the battle to gain back full health is a continuum; surgery, radiation treatment and chemotherapy all take a toll. With everything from chemo-brain (the foggy-headedness that comes with treatment) to a weakened immune system, women fight to return to wholeness and healthiness. So, what is being done about this? A lot more, now.  

Now, cancer treatment accreditation for facilities requires plans for after-care help. We are so thrilled this is happening! This is another helpful step on the road to best possible health. Help for breast cancer should include assistance at every step along the way -at diagnosis, during treatment and during recovery/return to your new normal. Back in the Swing has been instrumental in making this change and the help for the “after”  happen. We are so grateful for their thoughtfulness and action. For more on the story, check out this video, here.  

Cheers!

Image credit: Hope Rainbow Mosaic by Nutmeg Design by Margaret Almons via Flickr Copyright Creative CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Originally published 6/26/14 on mammographykc.com.