A Common-Sense Guide to Life after Treatment
By Hester Hill Schnipper, LICSW

This well thought out and structured book begins with a personal account by the author, which in this case brings a unique voice to the subject matter since Schnipper is not only a breast cancer survivor, but has many years as an oncology social worker and is the creator of a highly respected support program for women with breast cancer.

Within the book’s 302 pages author Schnipper manages to cover areas that have often been neglected in other texts – or not focused on sufficiently. As most women quickly discover, their life when treatment ends is very different from what it was before their diagnosis. These women often feel exhausted, anxious, and emotionally volatile. They may experience physical discomforts, feel fearful of intimacy, be afraid for their children, and worried about recurrence. If they have been anticipating a return to “normalcy,” they discover that normal has taken on a whole new meaning.

Schnipper provides jargon-free information on the wide spectrum of every day issues women face as they navigate their journey back to health:
 

• Physical recovery and medical follow-up
• Hormonal and complementary therapies
• Fertility and pregnancy
• Managing physical problems such as fatigue, hot flashes, and aches and pains
• Handling relationships: your children, your partner, your parents, your friends.
• How to regain emotional and sexual intimacy
• Coping with financial and workplace issues
• Genetic testing: why, whether, when
• How to move beyond the fear of recurrence
• Creating a life after breast cancer

Hester sums up why she felt this book was necessary, saying, “In retrospect, the crisis of diagnosis and the difficult months of physical treatment are almost the easy part. The real challenge comes with living with breast cancer. It is clear that the goal must be to live as though the cancer will never return. Living any other way, mired in anxiety and sadness, means that the cancer wins, whether it recurs or not.
Learning how to live "as if" is the reason for this book. It is, of course, a labor of love. I am blessed to spend my days with women who are learning with me how to live, and live well, in spite of the cloud of breast cancer. As increasing numbers of women survive and live many years after treatment, the focus of attention shifts. Everything about a woman's life is changed by the experience, and the physical and psychological difficulties can be demanding. The issues of survivorship must be appreciated for what they are: the fruits of pain and the rewards of living.”