I will never forget the day I got a call from my doctor’s office and the words “Jill, you have breast cancer” turned my world upside down. Suddenly, I was thrust into a new world filled with unfamiliar vocabulary and sometimes more questions than answers.
My guest Beth Wilmes has also had this experience. Beth took her experience walking through breast cancer and founded Faith Through Fire, a nonprofit that exists to reduce the fear and anxiety that breast cancer patients feel and replace it with hope and a path toward thriving. She is also an author and podcast host of Besties with Breasties Podcast.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- Beth’s journey through breast cancer
- The physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual toll a diagnosis can have
- Why support needs to be unobtrusive
- And so much more…
This topic is one that I am deeply passionate about as a breast cancer survivor. Whether you have been diagnosed or not, the information in this conversation is so important for your own understanding and your ability to support others.
(As we start into our fifth year of the podcast, you’ll start hearing a shoutout at the beginning of each episode. This is an opportunity for us to celebrate our listeners, and specifically the transformation and celebrations in your life. Want to reach out to us? You can contact us here on our website or text our new No More Perfect hotline at 309-431-1718.)
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- [E-BOOK] Fear Less: Hope and Help for the Newly Diagnosed Breast Cancer Patient
- Besties with Breasties Podcast
- Connect with Beth on her website, Facebook, or Instagram
- Join me at the Empty Nest Full Life Retreat!
- As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.
My Key Takeaways:
1) A breast cancer diagnosis is emotionally, mentally, and physically taxing. This is just as much an emotional battle as it is a physical one! If you or someone you know has recently received a breast cancer diagnosis, you may experience fear, anxiety, and hopelessness, which can be terrifying. It’s important to have a solid support system to help you fight fear and receive encouragement.
2) Your life and priorities will begin to look different. After a cancer diagnosis, you begin to ask yourself, “What is really important?” Your priorities will shift and change; you may even find that you are no longer content with your job. This is completely normal. There is something about walking through breast cancer, or cancer of any kind, that causes you to rethink how you want to spend your time.
3) Support needs to be low-maintenance. As you have friends and family offering support, encouragement, and friendship, it’s important for them to understand that your energy will be limited. In order for you to accept and utilize support, it needs to be unobtrusive and low maintenance. You are in the thick of a difficult season that will likely last for a significant amount of time. Realistically, you won’t be able to actively maintain many of the relationships that you need during this season, so setting expectations can be valuable.
About Beth:
Beth Wilmes is a breast cancer survivor, founder of Faith Through Fire, author, and podcast host. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at the young age of 35 while she had a six, four, and one-year-old. Her nonprofit is dedicated to helping people get better instead of bitter after a breast cancer diagnosis. Beth likes camping, boating, and reading under a tree whenever possible.
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After listening, I have to share that my cancer story is very different. After my 2nd mammogram and my first core needle biopsy, I was told to see a breast surgeon-which I did. I was never told by anyone in the surgeon’s office-not the surgeon, not the office staff-not the nurse navigator-Absolutely no one ever said the words to me “you have breast cancer”. I guess they thought I knew. I went through many further tests: further mammograms, yet another core needle biopsy, an MRI, and a breast ultrasound. I still never was told that I had breast cancer. It was not until AFTER my surgery that I simply realized that I had it. Since it took so much time from my first abnormal mammogram until after my surgery, I am further behind the ball with this emotional healing. I wish strongly that someone had actually told me the words “you have breast cancer” so that my emotional healing could have started sooner. Thank you both for your stories. I did get a chuckle when Jill said that her grandkids really loved at their trip to St. Louis “going to Pieces”. It seemed like a play on words that just tickled me so. Again, thanks!
Thank you for sharing your story! How scary that you never heard exactly what you were dealing with! (And how funny on the “going to Pieces”–I didn’t think about the play on words!)
This was the BEST podcast ever! I was diagnosed with breast cancer in February of this year. My Nurse Practitioner never told me that I had breast cancer either. I found out via results posted to my patient portal. The Radiologist who did my biopsy actually was the first one to tell me I had breast cancer.
I have since had a double mastectomy, genetic testing which confirmed BRCA2 mutant gene, I completed Phase 1 of chemo of 8 weeks, and am still facing Phase 2 chemo for three months of weekly treatment, then radiation, then a possible oophorectomy, plus 10 years of anti-estrogen treatment.
After I had listened to the podcast, I immediately checked the Faith Through Fire website and signed up to be matched with a mentor. By Tuesday, I had been assigned a mentor, who had the exact same diagnosis and treatments I have had and will have!
So Jill, thank you so very much for recording this life-giving and amazing podcast!
I’m soooo glad you found this helpful! And I’m so glad you’ve already been connected to a mentor through Faith Through Fire website!