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As a genetic counselor for the last 10 years, I've counseled patients about their cancer risks and guided them through the genetic testing process. I help them decide if genetic testing is right for them and explain how their test results might impact their physical and mental health. We discuss next steps and how to use this information to empower their health and their lives. We talk through their emotions and fears. Sometimes we just sit in silence. Every patient's journey is unique, and their feelings are complex.
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When my friend Mara felt a lump in her right breast in April 2019, her first reaction was panic. She got on the phone with me right away and asked me to come with her to the doctor.
After a few days of anxious waiting, we received confirmation that it was breast cancer. As I sat beside Mara outside the doctor’s office, I could see her whole spirit deflating.
I wasn’t sure how to help her, so I suggested we look for breast cancer support groups that she can join. Maybe if she connects with other people going through the same thing, she would feel less helpless and overwhelmed.
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We know that eating red meat increases colon cancer risk, but what about breast cancer? This is a concern because cattle are given hormones, including estrogen, which is known to increase the risk of breast cancer. While this practice has been banned in Europe, it is common in U.S. feedlots to make cows gain weight more quickly. We don’t know what level of hormones ends up in the beef or how it might affect our health.
ZBC is partnering with the Public Health Institute investigator Dr. Gina Solomon and her team on a study to look at this question in the HAMBURGER (Hormones And Meat: does Beef Under-Regulation Generate Estrogenic Residues) Study. In 2020, we surveyed 41 stores to see what cuts of beef were being sold, at what price, and from which producers. (For team members who are vegetarian, this was an odd task!)
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You are not alone if the social distancing requirements and complying with the need of living in a social bubble has left you feeling anxious, socially isolated and feeling depressed. You are among millions of people who are bearing the brunt of Covid-19’s psychological effects. Our exposure to the continuous feed of stimulating news and notifications over wifi devices, television and social media has made many of us, myself included, worry about the future. As a result, it has made us vulnerable emotionally and mentally. Adjusting to the new normal of being isolated was not easy. I found the thought of following the mundane routine daily with little or no avenues of recreation or in-person interaction made me anxious.
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During the Fall semester of 2020, ZBC Program Director Lianna Hartmour had the privilege of working with Dominican University students Brianna Arevalo, Jorrane Martins Moreno, and Elias Muro on their Business Leadership Practicum. They created a survey for their peers, collected data in English and Spanish, and created three YouTube videos that were informed by survey results. Their videos were shared on ZBC social media accounts and are posted on YouTube. Check them out below!
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This is the second of two parts about what we can do for our health and wellness during the Covid pandemic, from breast cancer survivors on the Pathways Study Community Advisory Board. Here they share how they cope: connecting with people; taking a break; breathing deeply, meditating or praying; asking for support; getting sleep; gratitude; and focusing on moving forward. Research has shown that all of these can help our mental and our physical health. (Check out the first part for ideas on moving our bodies and eating well.)
- Self-Care for Breast Cancer Survivors during Covid-19 PART 1: Being Active and Eating Well
- Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!) by Sonya Renee Taylor
- What I Learned During My Internship with Zero Breast Cancer by Mechiel Taylor
- Advancing Health Equity in Breast Cancer: Zero Breast Cancer's 25th Year Webinar Series
- ZBC's 2020 Impact
- Get to Know ZBC Community Partners: Cassandra Falby, Women’s Cancer Resource Center
