Anne Rosenberg, M.D., Breast Surgeon, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Question: Is it normal to feel hopeless about my future and what should I do about it?
Answer: When you first find out that there's something wrong with your physical examination or your mammogram, it is the most terrifying experience in the world. You don't know who to turn to, you don't know what to say. Then you start in the process and everybody is giving you information and it's just so overwhelming that most people will have a sense of feeling very frustrated and out of control and wondering if they'll live to see their children grow up or ever go to their wedding or any future events.
It's important that at that time you take a deep breath and step back and look at the support around you. Look to your family and friends.
If you're not fortunate enough to have a really close network of people around you, there are many, many organizations, both locally and nationally, who are there for you, to be there if you need to reach out, both with information and emotional support.
As frightening as the situation is when you first get involved, it will become something that will empower you. It will teach you how to move forward, if you take it a step at a time. Going through an experience, even if it's just for a biopsy or if it's as far along as having had a breast cancer, will be something that certainly will change your life forever, but it doesn't mean the end of your life.
