Immediately, Dr. Sue Hwang went from a care supplier who had helped hundreds by way of their most cancers journeys to a affected person dealing with a most cancers analysis of her personal.
Hwang, a radiation oncologist specializing in breast most cancers, is the part chief of breast radiation oncology on the AdventHealth Most cancers Institute in Orlando, Florida, and is an affiliate professor in radiation oncology on the College of Central Florida Faculty of Drugs.
Her new guide, “From Each Sides of the Curtain: Classes and Reflections From an Oncologist’ Breast Most cancers Journey,” chronicles her personal time as a affected person with breast most cancers and a breast most cancers survivor.
Hwang sat down for an interview with CURE to debate the emotional realities of going from supplier to affected person.
Transcript
What was the transition from care supplier to affected person like for you?
I do not suppose there’s something that might truly put together you for it till you undergo it your self. It is fascinating. I believe whenever you do that job proper, and I have been doing it for 15 years earlier than I bought identified, and after I did get identified, a part of me thought, “Effectively, I assume if I’ll get a most cancers, that is the one to get, as a result of, in any case, like, I’ve guided hundreds of girls down the trail, and I do know all of the medical doctors, and I do know all of the therapy plans.”
Initially I used to be like, “OK, let me simply get by way of therapy actually shortly after which get again to life as I do know it.” I imply, I actually did, naively, suppose my experience type of buffered me from experiencing the complete weight of a most cancers analysis, if that is smart.
After which, clearly, whenever you’re going by way of therapy, I simply keep in mind I used to be house recovering from the mastectomies, sitting in my recliner, and I used to be considering, I believe my plan of simply getting by way of therapy and getting again to life as I knew it isn’t a great plan, as a result of whenever you’re sitting there recovering, you understand whenever you get this analysis there is a complete shift in every little thing, life as you knew it’s gone. Your perspective on life is totally different. The whole lot is simply totally different whenever you whenever you get this analysis.
So, to reply your query, to go from physician to affected person is a really humbling expertise, irrespective of how a lot expertise you’ve gotten treating the illness, as a result of as quickly as you grow to be the one strolling it, nothing prepares you for that. It’s a must to expertise your self to essentially get it.
Transcript has been edited for readability and conciseness.
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