After the Cure: The Untold Stories of Breast Cancer Survivors

By Emily Abel and Saskia K. Subramanian

Book Overview

2009 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
2009 Association of American University Presses Award for Jacket Design

The stories of 70 women living in the aftermath of breast cancer

Chemo brain. Fatigue. Chronic pain. Insomnia. Depression. These are just a few of the ongoing, debilitating symptoms that plague some breast-cancer survivors long after their treatments have officially ended. While there are hundreds of books about breast cancer, ranging from practical medical advice to inspirational stories of survivors, what has been missing until now is testimony from the thousands of women who continue to struggle with persistent health problems.

After the Cure is a compelling read filled with fascinating portraits of more than seventy women who are living with the aftermath of breast cancer. Emily K. Abel is one of these women. She and her colleague, Saskia K. Subramanian, whose mother died of cancer, interviewed more than seventy breast cancer survivors who have suffered from post-treatment symptoms. Having heard repeatedly that "the problems are all in your head," many don't know where to turn for help. The doctors who now refuse to validate their symptoms are often the very ones they depended on to provide life-saving treatments. Sometimes family members who provided essential support through months of chemotherapy and radiation don't believe them. Their work lives, already disrupted by both cancer and its treatment, are further undermined by the lingering symptoms. And every symptom serves as a constant reminder of the trauma of diagnosis, the ordeal of treatment, and the specter of recurrence.

Most narratives about surviving breast cancer end with the conclusion of chemotherapy and radiation, painting stereotypical portraits of triumphantly healthy survivors, women who not only survive but emerge better and stronger than before. Here, at last, survivors step out of the shadows and speak compellingly about their "real" stories, giving voice to the complicated, often painful realities of life after the cure.
This book received funding from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814707254
• ISBN13: 9780814707258
• Release Date: September 2008
• Publisher: New York University Press
• Length: 203 Pages
• Weight: 3.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Excellent -- for medical professionals, survivors, family and friends

This book fills a very important void. As a psychologist working with many breast cancer survivors, I have witnessed the harm that occurs when women report disturbing symptoms, and are unable to find validation that these symptoms are real, and are, indeed, associated with breast cancer treatment. We know that human resilience is enhanced when the person suffering is able to share her experience with others. Knowing that she is not alone, and that she is not imagining the symptoms, will certainly enhance a woman's willingness to share. Rather than purely theoretical information, the book provides personal stories of numerous women. Not only do their stories illuminate common physical symptoms, but also, the emotional experience of having these symptoms, and of having breast cancer. My hope is that these first person accounts will influence researchers to examine the side effects of treatment. Until we find ways to avoid the side effects, we can, at the very least, validate the reality that breast cancer survivors endure. The authors have treated the women, and the subject, with remarkable sensitivity. The book is extraordinarily engrossing. I highly recommend the book to women undergoing breast cancer treatment, to their family members and friends. And I strongly encourage the health care professionals to read the book, and consider sharing it with their patients.