Focusing on Your Emotional Wellbeing While Battling Cancer
- Bershan Shaw, 51, former Real Housewives of New York star, channeled her emotional breast cancer journey into creating the ‘UR A Warrior app’—an empowering space for patients to connect, seek answers, and find community.
- Shaw’s battle began in 2007 with a stage 1 breast cancer diagnosis. After initially overcoming it, the cancer returned two years later as stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
- Her treatment included a lumpectomy to remove the tumor and surrounding healthy tissue, followed by radiation therapy—ultimately leading to remission.
- According to Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 35–40% of cancer patients face diagnosable psychiatric conditions, with mental health struggles more prevalent in advanced or palliative-stage patients.
- Managing emotional wellness during cancer treatment can include relying on loved ones, journaling your thoughts, and consulting with mental health professionals for support.
Metastatic breast cancer (also called stage 4 breast cancer) is a condition in which cancer cells have spread from the breast to other parts of the body. Although the cancer is incurable at this stage, treatment options exist to help manage it, potentially prolonging life.
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Out of her own healing journey grew the ‘UR A Warrior’ app—an online haven Shaw built to remind women they’re never truly alone.
“[It is] a safe, inclusive mental health and wellness space where you are not alone, where you can communicate, you can post your [pains and problems] anonymously, and there are daily motivations and daily challenges to help get you through,” she told Ebony Magazine.
The need for mental health resources is acute among cancer patients. Research in Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences reports that “35 to 40 percent of cancer patients have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder,” with even higher rates in advanced and palliative care settings.
“This app is how I heal. Everything on this app is intentional. It’s all of the things I did [to heal],” Shaw said.
Reflecting on her initial diagnosis, Shaw hasn’t forgotten the fear she felt early on and admits she struggled to embrace her reality.
“When I was first diagnosed, I was ashamed and embarrassed, too embarrassed to talk about it,” she admits—reminding us that courage often begins with vulnerability.
But vulnerability didn’t stop her. “When you go through cancer, you deal with depression, anxiety…substance abuse, so I just started showing up. I didn’t let chemo or the treatments take my spirit and my body down. Cancer is just a bump in the road,” she explains, her determination lighting the path for countless survivors.
Bershan Shaw’s story isn’t just about surviving—it’s about thriving, breaking down walls, and passing the torch of hope to every woman facing breast cancer today.
Helping You Manage Your Mental Health
Helping You Manage Your Mental Health Along Your Journey
It’s incredibly valuable when high-profile figures like Bershan Shaw draw attention to the importance of mental health among cancer patients.
For cancer patients, a diagnosis undoubtedly impacts their mental health. If you are diagnosed with cancer or another chronic disease, you should be mindful of your mental health because it can affect your overall prognosis.
WATCH: Coping with feelings of anger.
RELATED: Psychologist Dr. Samantha Board discusses managing mental health long-term
“For long-term mental health and living with cancer, flexibility is really at the core of how to manage long-term mental health,” says New York-based psychologist Dr. Samantha Boardman.
Dr. Boardman suggests asking yourself questions about how you deal with stressful situations to determine if they’re effective or need adjustment.
“Are your coping strategies in the way that you’re using them now? Are they as effective as they were in the past? Take a look at your beliefs. Do you have any fixed beliefs that are counterproductive and are impeding you from taking positive steps?” Dr. Boardman said.
To keep your mental health in check, it’s important to be aware of subtle signs that something is affecting your mind. These signs include:
- A change in eating or sleeping habits
- Losing interest in people or usual activities
- Experiencing little or no energy
- Numb and/or hopeless feelings
- Turning to drink or drugs more than usual
- Non-typical angry, upset, or on-edge feelings
- Yelling/fighting with loved ones
- Experiencing mood swings
- Intrusive thoughts
- Trouble getting through daily tasks
If you struggle in any of these areas, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional to begin your emotional journey alongside your other cancer treatment.
“Depression and stress make it harder to treat cancer [and] make it harder to tolerate the treatments,” Dr. Scott Irwin, director of supportive care services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.
“There’s data that if you have extra stress or depression, you may not recover or you have a higher risk of recurrence, so in treating the depression, we’re actually impacting the cancer care outcomes,” Dr. Irwin added.
Shaw’s Breast Cancer Battles
Bershan Shaw’s resilience has carried her through two separate battles with breast cancer—and she’s emerged stronger each time.
Her first diagnosis came in 2007, when Shaw learned she had stage 1 breast cancer—a form in which tumors are small and either haven’t spread to lymph nodes or have only reached the sentinel node.
“I felt a lump and immediately just jumped up,” she told WTVR news.
WATCH: Treating late-stage breast cancer.
She opted for a lumpectomy, removing both the tumor and a margin of healthy tissue, followed by radiation therapy to eradicate any remaining cancer cells.
In 2009, just two years later, a complaint of back pain led to a devastating discovery: her cancer had returned, this time as stage 4 metastatic disease. At barely 30 years old, Shaw faced the harsh reality of a prognosis that gave her “just three months to live,” she recalled to Travel + Leisure.
Confronted with such staggering odds, Shaw leaned into faith and positivity to protect her mental health.
“When they told me it was terminal, incurable breast cancer, at first, you go through shock, disappointment, anger,” she explained to Parade.
“But then I just got on my knees, and I say, ‘God, just give me every day of glory. Give me every day to do something better.”
Each morning, she reinforced her spirit with daily affirmations: “I am healthy. I am happy. I’m loving. I’m powerful. I’m strong. And every day, I get better,” Shaw shared. These mantras helped her endure grueling rounds of chemotherapy and additional radiation.
Today, Shaw’s cancer remains in remission, a testament to her unbreakable will. She told the Huffington Post that she continues to thrive, using her experience to inspire others facing similar battles.
What To Ask Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about keeping your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:
- What treatment will I be receiving?
- What side effects are associated with this treatment?
- Are there steps I can take daily to help minimize these side effects?
- What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
- Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise?
- Can you recommend a dietitian who can provide me with healthy eating tips and guidance on maintaining a healthy weight?
- I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Do you have any treatment recommendations?
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