From Stage Zero Breast Cancer Patient to Author: The writing of “A Breast Cancer Journey”

Jennifer A. Douglas

From Stage Zero Breast Cancer Patient to Author

 The writing of “A Breast Cancer Journey”

In the quiet of the early morning, I opened my laptop to the document no one knew about. I began writing, words flowing out of my soul, fast and unfiltered. Once they left my fingers, I dared not read them, fearing I might stop. In those moments, I was caught between the healing I longed for and the pain of the treatments that had just finished. The page captured my unspoken fears, my repressed anger, and the uncertainty that lay before me. 

It was January 2020, well before the world had shut down for the pandemic, and I was only a few weeks out of breast cancer treatment.  Outwardly, I looked the same as I’d always had, but that was only because my sunburned and scarred breasts were covered up. A smile masked my internal anxieties, and my energy, depleted by the radiation, was nowhere to be found.

I needed a place to tell all of what I’d been through, not just the “short version.” Throughout my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, I realized that a stage zero breast cancer diagnosis doesn’t mean zero challenges.  On the eve of my 42nd birthday, I became a cancer patient.

What followed were months of imaging, biopsies, decision-making, surgery, and four weeks of radiation.  çMy medical team was positive and encouraging, and my family and friends were supportive. But I was a mess. My mind was filled with anxious thoughts. I was expending all my energy on making vital treatment decisions and recovering from them. I had to let go of my homemaking and virtual schooling roles and allow others to help me. My high school-aged sons struggled with my mortality and their academics. My husband wondered if he would have to raise them alone.

These struggles happened behind closed doors. The emotional turmoil, mental anxieties, and exhaustion weren’t visible. And yet, I knew my journey wasn’t unique. I was diagnosed after my second annual mammogram— the first of my friends to go through breast cancer. I knew I wasn’t going to be the last.

When I picked up books for education and encouragement, I often walked away with the idea that I had somehow gotten the “easy breast cancer” because it had been caught at stage zero.  Was I overreacting? Why was this so hard?

I needed a way to sort through these conflicting emotions, especially once the treatment ended. Since I was no longer going to appointments daily, I had the time to reflect on the trauma of treatment.  

I took to the blank page and let it all out. Every day for months, I’d open up the secret document and write until I had nothing left to say. Then, I’d close the laptop and get back to my routines. For a while, not even my husband knew what I was doing. At some point, I looked down at the word count. I had no idea how many words were in books, but I’d written about 72,000 of them, and apparently, that was enough.

I had no idea what to do next. I had no social media presence, editor, website, or publisher. So if I wanted this manuscript to be more than my secret journal of breast cancer, I had to muster up the strength to assemble a team and share my work with them. Oh, and I needed to build an audience because no one knew who I was.

My only experience with writing feedback has been in the academic setting. I would write my papers, self-edit them, and await a grade.  I thought that would be what it was like to publish a book. I do my part, hand it in, and then out comes a book.

Over the last three years of editing, polishing, rewriting, and collaborating with the many amazing people on my publishing team, I’ve realized that this process is nothing like turning in a paper. My work as an author was just beginning when I finished the first draft. 

The developmental editor I found guided me through a complete restructure and rewrite of the book. It was transformed from a chronological telling of my breast cancer journey into a topically organized work designed to help early-stage breast cancer patients.

My initial copyeditor encouraged me to query publishers after editing my first few chapters. Her direction led me to Bold Story Press in the summer of 2022. After some inspiring calls with Emily Barrosse, the founder, I decided to sign with them. That day, I discovered I needed surgery on my non-cancer breast for an inconclusive finding. Did I have cancer again?

 In the words of Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,”

Thankfully, it wasn’t cancer. In the fall of 2022, work accelerated on many fronts. Work included full copy-editing, title changes, adding an epilogue about my recent surgery, proofreading, and cover design. 

Writing a book isn’t a solo venture. It is best done with an encouraging team around you, who can help sculpt your book into something much more than you could have done yourself.

On my desk sit copies of my book, “A Breast Cancer Journey: Living it One Step at a Time.” The words, penned from a place of emotional uncertainty, are ready to encourage readers just beginning their breast cancer journeys. 

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JENNIFER A. DOUGLAS is a writer and breast cancer patient advocate who lives in Southern California. After the end of treatment for stage zero breast cancer, she felt called to encourage other patients through her writing and social media presence. She is active on her website, https://jenniferadouglas.com and on social media, @mmejendouglas. She was named a 2022 Breast Cancer Awareness Month influencer by the Susan Love Foundation.

Website: https://jenniferadouglas.com

Social media links:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mmejendouglas

Instagram: https://instagram.com/mmejendouglas

Facebook: https://facebook.com/mmejendouglas

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mmejendouglas/

A Breast Cancer Journey: Living It One Step at a Time

Breast cancer is a journey none of us wants to take. When we hear the words, “You have breast cancer,” our lives freeze. What do we do now?

Douglas was diagnosed with DCIS, stage zero breast cancer, after her second annual mammogram and quickly found herself navigating a new world filled with biopsies, treatment decisions, and overwhelming emotions. She discovered that stage zero breast cancer doesn’t mean zero challenges.

Her journey, along with those of other breast cancer patients, are woven throughout each chapter. Alongside the personal experiences is information that will help you decipher complicated imaging reports and recover from your procedures as comfortably as possible.

A Breast Cancer Journey: Living It One Step at a Time will help you walk through your journey feeling encouraged and empowered with knowledge and support.

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing