Life After Tamoxifen

Life After Tamoxifen

“Breast cancer” – you accept the diagnosis! You not only survive but thrive through surgery after surgery. You feel confident you have beaten the Cancer and while that may be true, you have a five-year journey ahead called tamoxifen. Reluctantly, you began the unknown path. “Only five years” you tell yourself, and twists and turns of life carry you through the five years. At last, five years are up; you walk into your oncologist’s office confident that you are free at last, but “not so fast – let’s continue the Tamoxifen for a few more years.” Something inside you is crushed. You go home and sleep on it. When you awake you decide “no more!” You want to take control and you decide that time is now.

So you start on the unknown path of withdrawal from tamoxifen. This is a journey for the brave, as it will be bumpy and long. As each day passes, each day will bring new challenges. You brave up and fight on as this is what you want, a life without Tamoxifen. You are done being a breast cancer patient! You want to carry forward and you want to move on. So you carry on bravely, with one vision. What vision you ask? Vision without a title you never wanted. You are done being a breast cancer patient (no more), you want to break free from your diagnosis from five years ago and from the “Breast Cancer Survivor” title that everyone so generously awarded you! You want to be YOU! You deserve it. If you stay the course and stay true to yourself, you will be far better than the you remember. You will be a changed YOU!!

On the road to a better you, you will find many people and organizations that will want to help you. For me, this journey led me to find Sharsheret, an incredible organization helping women dealing with Breast Cancer. Why or how does an Indian woman married to Filipino man find a Jewish cancer support group? Why you ask, my answer is why not?! Cancer touches all of us, White, Black, Asian or Hispanic. Why not help each other and lift each other up when we need it the most. Thank you, Sharsheret, for your support and your kindness through this Journey. With Sharsheret’s support, I felt I was not alone and found a group who understood my fight & they guided me on the path to recovery. “Trust the one who has been through it.”

With full gratitude,
Jigna

Comments