In focus group sessions conducted by Back in the Swing, participants commented: “I just needed someone to help me plan my future…” and “I couldn’t figure out who I was after finishing treatment”. Another commented that she felt as if she were “wearing shoes that were on the wrong feet”, and the rest of the group agreed that “normal” was not normal anymore.
They wondered aloud about whom to call with questions that are not truly “cancer related”, but are related to treatment – about reconstruction, nutrition, and body image, for example. Worried about what was behind new behaviors – crying at the most surprising times and being unable to get their former energy back, for example, many years after treatment was completed – several participants expressed a need for a “plan to put my life back together” and “someone who could answer my questions whenever I needed her”. Everyone agreed that she needed someone to help her figure out how to find the resources close to home to help her recover and protect her wellbeing.
