MORE THAN SURVIVAL

Making A Life After Cancer

ARTICLE AND PHOTO COURESTY OF SANFORD HEALTH

Nancy Callender has learned to appreciate the things that make her sing – inside and outside.

When she sits and quietly watches the birds, or gets her sewing machine humming along with a smile and song, she’s content and happy. The 57-year-old breast cancer survivor doesn’t like to define her life by her past disease, but instead by what makes her happy today.

“I’ve learned to do the things that give me great peace, to pay attention to the little things, which really are big things,” says Callender. “I have a happy life.”

The beginning

Callender’s journey began when she found a lump in her left breast in March 2011. It wasn’t the first time she had found something that needed to be checked out, but this time a biopsy confirmed cancer.

Surgery to remove the lump and check her lymph nodes showed her cancer had spread to 11 nodes. She followed surgery with radiation and chemotherapy.

Callender was able to work throughout her treatment, going in almost daily to her job as a business office manager at a nursing home. It was important for her to keep her regular schedule.

“I wanted to go to work because I could take my mind off of the cancer,” says Callender. “I worked with such caring, compassionate people who were wonderful to me.”

By November 2011, scans showed Callender was cancer free. It was time to celebrate and heal, but for the first time in her journey with cancer, she felt horrible.

Life in “free-fall”

She was worried the cancer could come back. She had pain and numbness in her hands and aches in her knees. And she just wasn’t sure if it would ever go away.

“I was so used to seeing the doctors and the nurses, feeling so very looked after and cared for and then you’re done and the panic sets in,” says Nancy. “It was like I was free-falling.”

Callender’s treatment team suggested she make an appointment at the embrace Survivorship Clinic at Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center. The help she got there changed her life.

She spent half a day at the clinic. Her appointment included a tailored questionnaire to assess her emotional and physical needs, a physical exam, education, a customized prescription for nutrition and exercise, and recommendations for further follow-up.

A physical therapist dealt with her residual physical pain and a psychologist helped her helped her work through her anxiety and process the experience she had been through.

“I never felt rushed one second,” says Callender. “Any person who has gone through cancer can use this. It was the best four hours I’ve ever spent.”

A different way

Sanford embrace Medical Director Dr. Shelby Terstriep says many cancer survivors, like Callender, struggle most in the days following their treatment. After having great support for their every need, they suddenly are expected to get back to normal after great changes physically, emotionally and financially.

“Cancer treatment doesn’t end when your treatment is done,” says Dr. Terstriep. “Transitioning to normal care is a completely different experience.”

Dr. Terstriep says getting support and individualized follow-up care after the treatment is done is an essential step toward putting life back on track. Experts in “survivorship” can make the transition to life much easier.

The oncologist recommends cancer survivors talk to their health-care providers about supportive services both during and after their treatment. Programs like embrace Cancer Survivorship Program can help people through the long-lasting emotional, physical and financial effects of cancer.

“When you’re educated and empowered, you’re ready to move forward to lead the best possible life,” says Dr. Terstriep. “You need someone who can answer your questions and realizes your life and the care you need has changed.”

Today Callender lives her life not focusing on the cancer she’s survived, but the life she loves to lead. She changed her lifestyle and work schedule to be able to focus on family and friends. She feels good – both physically and emotionally.

“I don’t worry about what anybody else thinks or believes, each day is a good day to be alive,” says Callender. “I try to limit my fears and see the beauty of every day.” [AWM]