One in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, and this diagnosis can at first seem devastating. 

Dr. Dara Richardson-Heron, breast cancer survivor and CEO of the Greater NYC Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, offers some valuable advice on coping with breast cancer, whether it affects you or someone you love.



After the Diagnosis
After you receive a diagnosis, you should first put together your own personal emotional support team, which can include friends, family members, or colleagues. Once your emotional support team is in place, you should identify and put together the right team of medical professionals to help guide your care. 

Begin by understanding who should be part of your medical team, which will vary depending on the type of cancer you have as well as the treatment course that is right for you. Your team may include oncologists, a breast surgeon, a plastic surgeon, a radiation oncologist, or someone else altogether. The important thing is that you make sure that you are comfortable with your health-care team members, their communication style, their office routines, and your access to them.

Important Medical Questions
Following are some key questions you may want to ask your doctor after your initial diagnosis

• What type of cancer do I have?
  
  
• What tests will be done to determine if it has spread to any other parts of my body?
  
  
• Who will coordinate my care? Will you refer me to an oncologist?
  
  
• How can I get a copy of my test results? (This is important because depending on your specific diagnosis, you will undergo many different evaluations to determine the extent of the disease. Also, there is a broad spectrum of physicians and other health-care professionals who will be involved in your care. While this information is usually transferred by the referring physician, Dr. Richardson-Heron also recommends that you put together a binder containing your most important medical information.)
  
  
• What do you recommend that I say to my boss regarding the length of time I will be in treatment?
  
  
• What should prompt me to call you -- symptoms, signs of illness, etc.?