As you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month so be sure to check back each week throughout the month as we share important breast health tips.
Cathy Halloran was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001 and has raised close to a combined $450,000 for the American Cancer Society and her very own Chicks and Chucks Foundation, a non-profit she started in 2006 to provide a resource for breast cancer patients in need of financial and emotional support.
She devotes much of her time and boundless energy to talking to cancer patients and family members.
Halloran is a breast cancer survivor who has had two mastectomies, eight rounds of chemotherapy and lost her hair. With that experience, she offers these seven tips for patients:
- Consume lots of water during chemotherapy and radiation. Doing so helps flush out your system so you feel better quicker. It doesn’t have to be tap or bottled water, either. Suck on ice chips, popsicles, eat watermelon. There are other ways to get water in you.
- Allow people to help. Women especially, she says, are used to taking care of everyone else, so it’s hard for them to let people take care of them. Just do it.
- Listen to your body. It will tell you when something is not right. Trust your instincts.
- Focus only on you. This kind of goes with No. 2. It’s OK to let others handle your laundry, run to the grocery store for a few items or even bring in a meal for you. Really, it’s OK. You have one mission and that’s to take care of yourself.
- Take it one day at a time. Embrace today. Find one small victory that you can achieve today. Think about what you can accomplish today.
- You are allowed to have bad days. Yep, that’s right. You can feel lousy or be in a bad mood or feel down, frustrated or angry. You don’t need anyone’s permission. Give yourself a break.
- It’s OK to cry. It might make you feel better. It is NOT a sign of weakness. Sometimes it just helps.
Halloran is a women’s product consultant at St. Elizabeth Healthcare who helps patients with the purchasing of bras and wigs at the Breast Center boutique on the Edgewood campus.
