Janell Hunter Talks about Her Bout with Breast Cancer

A few days ago, Janell Hunter got the results from her regular screening. They indicated that after 12 years she is still cancer free. Janell was nice enough to share some of her thoughts, feelings and lessons learned from her experience with breast cancer.

Two Major Thoughts after Diagnosis

When Janell found out she had cancer, there were two major thoughts going through her mind. She said,

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I wondered if my three daughters would be at a higher risk of developing breast cancer because I had breast cancer. I also thought about my seven-year-old son at home, wondering if I would be around to raise him.

Support from Family and Friends

During her bout with breast cancer, Janell sought and received comfort and support from various individuals. In the early stages of diagnosis, Janell’s brother who is a doctor accompanied her to doctor’s appointments. During chemotherapy treatments, her mother-in-law would come and help out at the house. When Janell traveled for treatment, her husband went with her so she wouldn’t have to go alone. On many occasions, calls from family and close friends offered great support. Also, her oldest daughter from Utah came to spend time with her.

Another help for Janell came from talking with others who had dealt with breast cancer. They offered good perspective she said.

Finding ways to Push On

During her treatments, when Janell had the energy, she would help out at her son’s class. She said the children’s bubbly energy helped her to be happy. An experience that occurred early on in her diagnosis helped Janell to get to this point. She said,

There was one night a little after I was diagnosed that I didn’t have a good day and I cried for a good portion of the night. “After that, I decided that I was just going to push on, live my life and be positive.

Of course it wasn’t simply as easy as making one decision, but that decision helped her to make future decisions to be happy. Listening to music, reading positive books and church attendance were other sources of strength and comfort for Janell during her struggle with breast cancer.

Maintaining Good Health after the Fact

As mentioned earlier, Janell recently had a checkup that confirms she has been cancer free for 12 years. After her cancer was cleared up, doctors recommended she maintain a good diet and exercise.

Janell didn’t really have unhealthy habits before her cancer diagnosis. She did not have many of the risk factors associated with developing breast cancer. Because of this, she thinks it is important for women do to more than simply have a good diet and exercising.

Tips from One that Has Gone through Treatment

Because Janell was a fairly healthy individual, she feels like the level of stress in her life was a major factor to her developing breast cancer. She was dealing with a lot of stress from work and said women should try to reduce the level of stress in their lives.

Janell said women should be aware of their health and listen to their bodies. Before she was diagnosed, she mentioned that she experienced more fatigue than usual.

Another tip was to get a second or even a third opinion when seeing doctors. She had a lump for a year before anything was done about it. During that time, she went to see three different doctors and they all said she had nothing to worry about. Finally, she found a doctor that biopsied the lump and discovered it was cancerous. To this day, she still tells that doctor he saved her life.

An Education through Breast Cancer

After Janell was diagnosed, she started to realize, more than ever, what was most important in her life. She hadn’t previously put a lot of value on stuff, but the diagnosis helped her realize that her family and relationships were the most important things in her life, and what she should put first. She expressed the importance of living in the moment and savoring each day.

Janell said she doesn’t refer to herself, or like to be referred to, as a cancer survivor. She is someone that dealt with cancer and was able to move past it. She said,

Many times when people have an illness, they let it define them. You are more than the illness you have or had. Sick or not, struggling or not, you need to get as much out of each day as you can.

Keeping a gratitude journal was another suggestion Janell mentioned. You will be able to find at least one thing that you are thankful for, even on really bad days. Janell doesn’t allow her struggle with cancer to define her life. She lived with it and learned from it.