In recent months, many news outlets have featured stories about the rising rates of women with breast cancer choosing elective double mastectomies. The reasons why these patients opt for healthy breast removal are very personal, but Dr. Kazuaki Takabe and Dr. Jessica Young joined us on Facebook Live to discuss the medical considerations surrounding this trend.

I have been battling cancer successfully for 11 years. Looking back at my first diagnosis — stage 2 breast cancer, at age 42 — I downplay it now, because what happened next was so tragic.

Every day I am inspired by my courageous patients and the exciting progress we make in breast cancer research. I know the work we do will push the field forward. But to do this work, I had to give up a lot of my hobbies and previous pastimes. Believe it or not, I used to play Rock & Roll.

As artist Shasti O’Leary Soudant planned the creation of Wish Field, she thought about the emotions of the cancer patients and survivors who would see it. For that she did not need her imagination; she had her own memory.

The news that you are cancer-free can stir up many feelings — relief, exhaustion, excitement, apprehension — and you may wonder what happens next. Although you and your loved ones have worked toward and hoped for this outcome, there are many aspects of survivorship, and it may take time to adjust to life after treatment.