Jerilyn Isaacson, Charleston SC
Member of The After Cancer since January 2024
Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Stage 3. Terrifying news, right?? I finished twenty-six rounds of chemotherapy, had a double mastectomy, then twenty-eight rounds of radiation. In February of 2024, I was given a clean bill of health – cancer free– so I should have been walking on clouds. But I wasn’t. For the past year someone else had been watching over me, telling me what to do, monitoring blood tests and other test results constantly. But at that moment in time, I realized that I was now on my own to fight this horrible beast and to do whatever I could to keep it from returning. And I was clueless. All I could think was, "I am more scared now than on the day I was diagnosed".
About two weeks after this realization, I read a monthly newsletter from a non-profit group called Nothing Pink that had helped me through my chemotherapy and surgery. They had a note in the newsletter about a group called The After Cancer and some upcoming workshops they were doing. Just the name intrigued me because that’s where I was at that moment in time. I was dealing with The After Cancer. I immediately looked up their website, read everything on it, and signed up for a 6-week program.
It turned out to be the greatest blessing for me! I gained so much knowledge, gained confidence that I COULD do this, and met some terrific people and heard some courageous stories. We shared. We cried. We laughed. Now The After Cancer is a regular part of my life. I try to attend workshops, group chats, yoga sessions – anything I can that strikes my need that week or month to help me through my days of now living with cancer. I know I would not be as confident and at peace today if it was not for their care and concern. Love these new friends!