There are so many survivors of breast cancer learning how to adjust to normal life. Life after treatment isn’t as easygoing as some would assume. Sometimes it can be as difficult as the process of beating cancer itself. Because of this, women need support during their battle and after. Sometimes they just don’t get that extra help. Imagine losing your job because you have cancer. Not only are you dealing with a viscous disease but your worth and self-esteem is now challenged because you can’t even financially take care of yourself. Lets not even get into the effects of losing your hair, your breasts and other abnormalities that come from treatment. It’s a long and lonely trying road to normalcy after beating cancer. Survivor, Chantelle Nickson Clark knows what this struggle feels like except that she actually had lots of support during her battle. Clark is now making life a little easier for everyone that has been affected by breast cancer through her heartfelt foundation, Pink Angels.
“Being a cancer survivor, is like being a part of an unspoken sorority. You meet people who share your deepest thoughts, pains, circumstances etc and its never repeated. In return you get wisdom, encouragement, love endurance understanding and more. Knowing that we are all in this together. Its a painful club but at-least you are not alone,” said Clark. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and when I was in my hospital room, I came up with the idea to create a support system for patients and survivors. I had a lot of support but I knew other women who didn’t. The Pink Angels Foundation is a breast cancer organization that is dedicated to assisting women who are diagnosed with breast cancer. We encourage breast cancer patients to hang up their wings and allow us to carry them through their difficult journey. We have to be conscious of life after treatment and accept that its an emotional and difficult journey that we can overcome. We shouldn’t have to pretend that its a “happily ever after story.” Clarks mission is captured through her campaign “Unveiling the Mask.”
“Unveiling the Mask was inspired by a vision that was placed on my heart. Although I am honored and humbled to be a 6yr survivor cancer still reminds me daily that it once infiltrated my body. I am constantly reminded by the scars of countless surgeries, piercing pain in hands and feet (neuropathy) from nerve damage from chemotherapy, bikini scar from full hysterectomy, liver damage, body disfigurement from double mastectomy, permanent hair loss, and other ailments not to mention. Some would say that you should be glad that you have life and that you beat cancer! I am! Truly I am! But I often wonder am I still attractive to my husband, the emotional affects of not being able to have children anymore, the struggle of knowing that all of my feminine parts have been removed. You feel less of a woman. The emotional aspect is beyond draining!
Ocologist, Dr. Marisa Weiss MD also shares that life after treatment is a process. "Your body has just been through an enormous assault, and recovery is a huge thing. You're not going to just bounce back right away," said Dr. Weiss, founder of Breastcancer.org and the author of Living Beyond Breast Cancer. "You've been hit while you're down so many times: with surgery and anesthesia, perhaps with multiple cycles of chemotherapy, perhaps with radiation."
Hester Hill Schnipper shared Meredith Powers’ story in The Journal of Cinical Oncology stating that, “The crisis of breast cancer does not abate with the final chemotherapy or radiation treatments. Indeed, in many ways, the real crisis is just beginning. How do you learn to live with the sword of Damocles ever dangling? How do you come to terms with the changes in your body as well as the changes in your perspective? How do you manage the changed relationships and the intense emotions that continue into the future? These are questions with which the patient will have to struggle, as life is slowly reclaimed.” The Pink Angels Foundation may not be able to answer all of these questions, but Clark assures that this group of women is devoted to supporting other patients, financially, emotionally and physically. We are also committed to raising awareness in the community about breast cancer through early detection,knowledge and most importantly moral support.
If you are someone you know is in need of support please contact The Pink Angels Foundation