| Summary: | Dr. Suzanne M. Miller works with a middle-aged Hispanic American woman who had been diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer and is now in the reentry and extended survivorship phase following treatment. Miller asks her to describe her journey from diagnosis, treatment, and posttreatment. The client shares how doctors at first minimized her condition and describes how she became an advocate for her health: She asked for a biopsy, which indicated that her tumor was cancerous. Her Hispanic background influenced her initial reaction to her breast cancer, in that she was raised to care for others first and did not want to burden others. During her treatment, she realized the importance of a support network of her family, friends, and cancer survivors. in which she could freely express herself. After treatment, she decided to give back to her community through speaking to Hispanic women, encouraging them to have mammograms and to seek help if they felt any of the symptoms she described. Miller helped her realize that she had used her cancer experience to improve the quality of her life, to feel better about herself, and to find deeper goals through helping other people.
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