Coping with an Unexpected Diagnosis
- Journalist Trisha Goddard, 66, is learning how to live with breast cancer recurrence after the cancer returned to her hip bone as stage 4 or metastatic cancer.
- Metastatic breast cancer means the cancer cells have spread from the breast to other parts of the body. Breast cancer spreads through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. The blood carries cancer cells to different body parts, where they grow as new tumors.
- Although metastatic cancer is not considered curable, many treatment options exist today that can extend your life and improve your overall day-to-day quality of life.
- Coping with a breast cancer diagnosis can be one of the most daunting hurdles you’ve faced in your life. Experts tell SurvivorNet that leaning into your support group, keeping a journal, and a mental health professional are all effective ways to help you cope.
- Some people battling a disease or cancer are open to sharing their experiences as much as they can, while others prefer to keep it to themselves. SurvivorNet experts say both approaches and everything in between are valid.
Veteran news anchor Trisha Goddard, 66, says she does not want to become the story after revealing cancer that went into remission 16 years ago has since returned. Gone are her curly, long locks of hair in favor of a short haircut as she undergoes cancer treatment.
The mother of two was the first Black British female news host to have her own daytime talk show in the United Kingdom. Now residing in the U.S., Goddard is adapting to her newly evolved life, which includes living with stage 4 cancer.
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After completing treatment, she thought she was able to put the cancer behind her and move on with life. However, a little more than a year ago, Goddard said she started sustaining injuries while exercising at an increasing rate so that it caught her attention. Then, one day, she fell in her home, assuming she had possibly broken or fractured something on her leg. After undergoing tests and imaging scans, her doctor discovered something alarming: cancer cells in her hip.
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She learned the newly discovered cancer was a recurrence of the breast cancer she had dealt with many years earlier, except this time, it was in stage 4.
“It’s not going to go away,” Goddard admitted. She added that she felt a great deal of grief and fear following her diagnosis.
Helping Patients Cope with a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Coping with a Cancer Diagnosis
When you are diagnosed with cancer, feelings of fear and anxiety are completely normal. SurvivorNet experts recommend four tips for women diagnosed with breast cancer to better cope with their emotions during this difficult stage of the journey.
- Let your family and close friends know and let them help. After a diagnosis, you’re often faced with a ton of emotions and need help. It would be best to encourage people close to you to jump in with whatever practical help they can offer.
- Keep a journal. Many cancer warriors have shared with SurvivorNet that keeping a journal is an effective tool for acknowledging your feelings and emotions.
- Join a cancer support group. There is a good chance someone else is facing what you are facing or has been through this emotional leg of the journey before. Support groups in nearly every community offer opportunities to connect with others going through a similar journey. You’ll learn constructive insight from others who can tell you about what to expect and how to stay strong on tough days.
- Seeking professional help from a therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist so you can discuss your fears and concerns in a safe space. Vocalizing your thoughts and feelings rather than bottling them inside can be therapeutic.
Goddard’s Cancer Is Metastatic
Metastatic breast cancer (also called stage 4) means the cancer cells have spread from the breast to other parts of the body. Breast cancer spreads through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. The blood carries cancer cells to different body parts, where they grow as new tumors.
The cancer may spread to the liver, lungs, or bones, as is the case with Goddard. Actress Shannen Doherty, 52, had metastatic breast cancer spread to her brain.
As the disease spreads to other areas of the body (metastasis), it may cause additional symptoms depending on the area the cancer has spread:
- Bones: Severe bone pain or fractures
- Lungs: Difficulty breathing, chest pain, new cough
- Liver: Yellowing of the skin (jaundice), abdominal pain, nausea, and/or vomiting
- Brain: Headaches, memory loss, changes in vision, seizures
Although metastatic cancer is not considered curable, many treatment options exist today that can extend your life and improve your overall day-to-day quality of life. There have been incredible advances when it comes to treating breast cancer in recent years, including major progress in treating HER2-positive breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer.
RELATED: What are the treatment options for late-stage breast cancer?
Breast cancer is sometimes classified as either local, regional, or distant.
- Local: Cancer is located in the breast and has not spread
- Regional: Cancer spreads from the breast to nearby lymph nodes
- Distant: Cancer spreads to distant parts of the body, including bones, liver, lungs, and/or brain
Goddard was treated with several weeks of radiation and chemotherapy. She says she is focused on “life-pro-longing care” from now on.
“When you go to the doctors in the (United) States, there’s a choice of three little boxes you tick for treatment of stage 4 cancer. One is cure, one is life-prolonging, and one is palliative. There’s that awful feeling when you’re sitting there thinking: ‘Which one?’ and mine is life-prolonging,” Goddard explained.
Why Goddard Chose to Delay Sharing Her Diagnosis
Goddard was worried her cancer diagnosis would have a negative impact on her ability to work as a journalist.
“My worry is that people will start seeing me as a frail little thing and that if [the news] got out, I’d be judged, or people would change the way they are with me, or that I wouldn’t work,” Goddard said.
“It gets to a stage, after a year and a half, when keeping a secret becomes more of a burden than anything else,” Goddard added for her reason for going publish with her cancer recurrence.
WATCH: Sharing a Diagnosis
Some people battling a disease or cancer are open to sharing their experiences as much as they can, while others prefer to keep it to themselves or close loved ones. SurvivorNet experts say both approaches, and everything in between, are valid.
“Patients who have just been diagnosed with cancer sometimes wonder how they are going to handle the diagnosis of the cancer in social situations,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik explains.
Questions like “How much information should they share and with whom should they share the information?” are things Plutchik says patients take into consideration.
Dr. Plutchik explains, “There is no one right way to handle this diagnosis. People should do what feels right to them.”
A cancer journey can last months to years, which means cancer warriors may be experiencing a lot of uncertainty until they fully understand where their health stands. This uncertainty can influence when a cancer patient is ready to share their diagnosis, Dr. Plutchik further explained.
Dr. Plutchik stresses that those close to a person going through cancer should be respectful of their wishes when it comes to disclosing their diagnosis and seeking support.
Tips to Cope with an Unexpected Cancer Diagnosis
- Let your family and close friends know and let them help. So many cancer survivors tell us they want and need support but are often too preoccupied to make specific requests. Urge those close to you to jump in with whatever practical help they can offer.
- Keep a journal. It can be highly cathartic to let those feelings loose on paper. Grab a pen and a lovely journal and chronicle your thoughts throughout the day.
- Join a cancer support group. There are groups in nearly every community offering opportunities to connect with others going through a similar journey. You’ll learn constructive insight from others who can tell you about what to expect and how to stay strong on tough days.
- Consider seeing a therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist so you can discuss your fears and concerns in a safe space. Often, vocalizing your thoughts and feelings rather than internalizing them can provide relief.
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