What happens when you hear the words “You have breast cancer?” Sometime ago the Huffington Post published a story “PTSD And Breast Cancer: Psychological Trauma Twice As Likely In Newly Diagnosed Black Women”. This was not news to me because several months ago my mother (an African American breast cancer survivor) admitted she felt frozen in time and although she was “Cancer Free” she was only waiting for the cancer to return. The reality of her statement is she is not the only survivor struggling with those feelings. I believe it was very brave to admit how she felt. As a survivor, I could relate to her statement and I think my prayer life played an important role in helping me move forward. However, most survivors can remember where they were when they heard the words “You have breast cancer.” I was actually standing on a college campus. I answered my cell phone to the words, “We wish we could tell you it wasn’t cancer”. I walked to the end of the campus and dropped to my knees! It felt like my world was coming apart. I think on some levels I shut down however on the surface I put on a good face. At that time, I was working as an advocate to end violence against women and children and volunteering as a homicide minister with the homicide division with the local police department so I didn’t have time to have a CONDITION. I never talked about how I felt nor did I talk about how it felt to have two relatives with breast cancer. My mother and aunt were both diagnosed with breast cancer two & five months earlier before my diagnosis. As women, we are taught to lean in and do what we have to do to survive. However, it is only a matter of time before you can no longer put on a good face. The face becomes a lie to you and the world around you. The definition of PTSD is a type of anxiety disorder. It can occur after you've seen or experienced a traumatic event that involved the threat of injury or death. So of course, this story resonated with me. No one wants to receive bad news or what could be interpreted as a death sentence so we shut down, check out and go into denial. These are all symptoms of PTSD. So what can we do about it? Well, it’s time to talk about how we feel. It’s time to admit hearing the words “You have breast cancer” changes your life forever! It’s time to answer “If Pink Calls” because we are ready to check back in and take positive steps to live not only as survivors but as conquerors!
Madeline Long-Gill, an African American breast cancer survivor & advocate. She is the President of Sister Network Prince George’s County, an affiliate of Sisters Network Inc. Sisters Network® Inc. (SNI), founded by Karen Jackson in 1994, a leading voice and the only national African American breast cancer survivorship organization in the United States. The organization is governed by an elected Board of Directors and assisted by an appointed medical advisory committee. SNI includes more than 40 affiliate survivor run chapters nationwide and in 2012, Sisters’ breast health outreach initiatives influenced an estimated 3.7 million families. The organization’s purpose is to help save lives and provide a broader scope of knowledge that addresses the breast cancer survivorship crisis affecting African American women around the country.
