Through HER Eyes: A Family’s Story of Breast Cancer and Resilience

Breast cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, with early detection and advances in multimodal therapy contributing to steadily improving survival rates. Current guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) emphasize early screening, biomarker-driven treatment selection, and comprehensive supportive care across the disease continuum.^1,2

Although these guidelines define optimal clinical care, they do not fully capture the lived experience of navigating diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. To better understand that perspective, I spoke with my grandmother, Juliet Crosby, a breast cancer survivor diagnosed in 2010, about her journey through treatment and recovery.

At diagnosis, patients are often required to process complex information while coping with emotional shock. Research shows that early education and clear communication are associated with reduced distress and improved adherence to therapy.³

When asked what she remembered most about being diagnosed, my grandmother described surprise, but not panic. “I didn’t question God. I said, ‘Why not me?’ and I left it in His hands,” she recalled. Her experience reflects the wide variation in emotional responses to cancer and highlights the importance of pharmacists tailoring communication rather than making assumptions. In this setting, thoughtful, patient-centered counseling can help ensure that information is not only delivered but truly understood.

As patients move from diagnosis into active treatment, the focus instead shifts from processing the news to managing increasingly complex therapy decisions and medication regimens. Pharmacists play a critical role in translating these treatment plans into manageable steps for patients. Breast cancer therapy is now guided by tumor biomarkers, including hormone receptor status and human HER2 expression, which directly influence treatment selection and sequencing. HER2-positive breast cancer is recognized as a biologically distinct subtype historically associated with more aggressive disease, though outcomes have improved substantially with the introduction of HER2–targeted monoclonal antibody therapies.

Current NCCN and ASCO guidelines recommend HER2-directed agents such as trastuzumab and pertuzumab, often in combination with chemotherapy, as part of standard treatment regimens for eligible patients.^1,2 While these advances have transformed survival, they have also increased regimen complexity, underscoring the pharmacist’s role in patient education, adherence support, and monitoring for treatment-related toxicities.

My grandmother emphasized that understanding her medications helped her avoid feeling overwhelmed. “They explained everything to me. I knew what I had to do, what I was taking, and how it was going to react.” In her experience, having a health care team that took time to explain her medications and prepare her for what to expect made complex treatment feel manageable, reinforcing the essential role of pharmacists in helping patients understand, adhere to, and move through therapy with confidence.

Supportive care challenges represented an important component of her treatment experience. Chemotherapy-induced alopecia and radiation-associated dermatitis are well-documented adverse effects (AEs) that can substantially impair quality of life, and current NCCN guidelines emphasize proactive management through patient education and structured symptom monitoring.^1,4

For my grandmother, radiation proved to be the most difficult phase. “The radiation burned my skin. I told them it must be too high, but they said they had to do it.” Her experience mirrors what is widely reported in the literature, as radiation dermatitis is common during breast irradiation and can significantly interfere with comfort and daily functioning.⁴

Without clear expectations and early intervention, symptom burden can cause both physical discomfort and challenges with continuing therapy. This emphasizes why pharmacists must address these toxicities early and consistently. By setting expectations before treatment begins, pharmacists can help patients understand which AEs are common and which require prompt medical attention. Ongoing check-ins allow pharmacists to recommend supportive care measures, adjust over-the-counter or prescription therapies, and reinforce strategies that improve comfort and daily functioning. When symptoms worsen or begin to interfere with adherence, pharmacists can also help coordinate timely communication with the oncology team. In this way, proactive supportive care not only reduces distress but also helps patients remain on therapy and maintain quality of life during treatment.¹

Ultimately, survivorship is now recognized as a distinct and essential phase of cancer care, with ASCO guidelines emphasizing the importance of supporting patients as they return to daily routines, manage long-term effects of treatment, and preserve quality of life.⁵

For my grandmother, recovery was marked not by test results alone, but by small, meaningful moments. “After my appointments, my daughter and I went out to eat and went shopping. I was happy. I didn’t worry.” Her perspective reflects what many survivors describe––that healing is measured by the ability to resume an ordinary life as much as by clinical outcomes.

When speaking about newly diagnosed patients, my grandmother was concise. “Do what the doctors say, believe everything will be all right, and don’t worry.” Those words highlight how patients experience care not only through medications and procedures, but through the reassurance, clarity, and consistency provided by their health care team. For pharmacists, her story serves as a reminder that clinical expertise must be paired with presence, empathy, and communication.

She closed with a hopeful reflection that reached beyond her own experience: “I pray that they find a cure, so no one else has to go through what others did.” It is a reminder that the heart of oncology care is not only treatment, but that future patients get to live.

Evidence-based therapy saves lives, but care that helps patients take ownership of their cancer journey shapes how they face treatment, recovery, and life beyond cancer.

REFERENCES

1. Gradishar WJ, Moran MS, Abraham J, et al. NCCN guidelines insights: breast cancer, version 5.2025. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2025;23(11):426-436. doi:10.6004/jnccn.2025.0053

2. Giordano SH, Franzoi MAB, Temin S, et al. Systemic therapy for patients with advanced HER2-positive breast cancer: ASCO guideline update. J Clin Oncol. 2022;40(23):2612-2635. doi:10.1200/JCO.22.00519

3. Gilligan T, Bohlke K, Alpert AB, et al. Patient-clinician communication: ASCO guideline update. J Clin Oncol. 2026;44(11):1040-1057. doi:10.1200/JCO-26-00118

4. Chen X, Li X, Wang Z, et al. Evidence-based summary of the prevention and management of radiation dermatitis in patients with breast cancer. Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs. 2024;11(9):100556. doi: 10.1016/j.apjon.2024.100556

5. Sanft T, Day AT, Ansbaugh SM, et al. NCCN guidelines insights: survivorship, version 2.2025. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2025;23(6):208-217. doi:10.6004/jnccn.2025.0028