Grace In Survivorship

February 16, 2010

I’m a bit sad today. One of my inspirations – a breast cancer survivor who fought hard with ongoing treatment for the better part of a decade – passed away last week. Kathy was a runner, mother, devoted wife, and survivorship advocate (she started a summer camp to help kids whose parents had been diagnosed with cancer cope with the changes in their own lives - click here to see it!). Looking back on Kathy’s experience (an experience I watched mostly from afar), it is impossible to miss the model she set. Kathy’s breast cancer was vile; it caused her consistent pain, and the difficulties associated with it changed in nature without warning. Cancer turned Kathy’s life upside down, and it put her family’s life through a blender. But Kathy is an inspiration because she lived survivorship. Namely, she controlled the aspects of her life that she was able to control, and she LIVED with the jolting nature of the aspects of life that she could not control. She was a model of grace.

This month, one of my favorite journals, Psycho-Oncology, published two studies, and when I read them yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about Kathy. Life is precious and I’m making the best of it: coping strategies of long-term cancer survivors and Common-sense beliefs about cancer and health practices among women completing treatment for breast cancer both address how and why survivors move forward after a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Life is precious examined the coping strategies of 863 long-term cancer survivors. These survivors were all 5-6 years post diagnosis; some were still in active treatment; others had completed their active treatment phase. The researchers made some judgments based on previous psychology research, and they deemed certain coping strategies such as fatalism and anxious pre-occupation as maladaptive coping. Interestingly, the maladaptive coping strategies were associated with low levels of social support and disability. Also, ever having received chemotherapy was associated with using all coping strategies studied, including both the positive and maladaptive coping strategies. This made me think of Kathy because her specific situation is reflected in the results of this research. In observing Kathy, I didn’t notice any persistent maladaptive coping such as pre-occupation, avoidance, fatalistic thinking, or hopelessness. But I was struck by how she very openly relied on the support of her husband, their children, and their extended family. Kathy was not afraid to accept the help offered by those who loved her; she accepted gracefully. Now, Kathy was lucky for sure. She was surrounded by so many people who loved her and offered the support. But I believe Kathy’s grace in accepting the support made it easier for her loved ones to do everything they did. I believe that is a lesson we can learn from Kathy and other survivors like her. Being open to support is incredibly important.

Common-sense beliefs examined breast cancer survivors’ willingness and follow-through with respect to making positive lifestyle changes in light of the high risk of recurrence. 79 women who received chemotherapy were followed and examined at 3 weeks post-treatment and 3 months post-treatment. The survivors reported changes that improved their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. However, survivors who believed their cancer to be “more severe” or who expressed an understanding that cancer/recurrence is in part dependant on health behavior were more likely to report significant changes in their diet or physical activity levels. The authors of the study suggest that the results highlight the end of treatment as a time of high opportunity for survivors. It is a time when a major life shift is occurring, and survivors can make health behavior changes that will improve their quality of life and reduce their risk of poor health outcomes down the road. Kathy understood this, yet she was never really “post-treatment.” Before she was diagnosed Kathy was a runner, and she continued to exercise as much as she could until the end of her life. She made it her job to understand the benefits and dangers of her treatments, her diet, and her lifestyle. I am eternally grateful to Kathy for modeling a life, which I now know to be possible.

The following video explains my relationship with Kathy. As many of you know, I ran across the United States in 2006 to raise funds for cancer survivors. Kathy shows up several times in the video, but she is most prominent at the end when she discusses her own ordeal with cancer to a crowd at the completion to my run.